# blood discharge midcycle and clomid questions



## bettyc (Jul 27, 2009)

Hi, I am new to all this and have just started Clomid and on my first cycle..... therefore have a few questions - don't we all!??
if i use ovulation kits do they work with PCOS? and if you're taking Clomid?
I have had some pinkish bleeding today and i am on day 23 - i have been having super long cycles hence the clomid and on day 18 my follicle scan show one at 18mm...!?!?? I have another scan on Thursday so that should see if i ever ovulated or had a 'chocolate' one

Overall REALLY confused by it all, having mad crazy mood swings which reading this seems normal - There's a lota crazy woman out there! Keep crying for no reason and i am NEVER like that usually!
However it's the bleeding that worrys me most... has anyone else ever had anything like it
Thanks girls
xx


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## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

Hi there

Quite a few ladies getting some pinky discharge mid-cycle. This can be a side effect/symptom of the clomid _or_ it can be where osetrogen levels rise from the developing follicle which in turn causes a little of the womb lining to sluff off (mixed with cervical mucus means it can appear pink in colour) _or_ it may be a little bit of bleed from the rupturing follicle as it releases the egg....or possibly even a combination of those. On quite a few occasions I've had mid-cycle bleeding due to ovulation (naturally and when I was on clomid). If you're concerned then do mention it to your consultant but personally I'd say nothing to really worry about (but then I'm not medically qualified !)

A follicle of 18mm is good....this is the minimum size they would look for to ensure that the egg inside was mature enough for fertilisation...a small follicle can mean the egg is too immature...a follicle of 26+mm may mean the egg is too mature and may result in poor or no fertilisation.....so looks like you follicle is a nice size  When you mention "chocolate" cyst....do you have endometriosis as well as PCOS then as a "chocolate" cyst is an endometrioma (ie endometriosis cyst) ?

Clomid mood swings are pretty horrible aren't they ? I was only on clomid for 6mths quite a few years ago now....I don't have PCOS and ovulate fine naturally but was prescribed it to encourage the release of more eggs (more target practise for the sperm !)....but I remember the terrible mood swings well...as does my DP !! I could be  on minute, then   the next and then I'd be   ....sent me completely fruit loopy at times   ...DP was convinced my head would swivel round 180 degrees which I spewed   aka the exorcist !!  

As for whether OPKs are reliable when you have PCOS....well, for some women they can be but for the majority they're not so if you do decide to use them then I would try not to get too hung up and obsessed with them as they may not give an accurate result.

OPKs only detect the LH surge before ovulation and don't confirm ovulation itself. With PCOS, LH levels tend to be higher anyway so the OPKs pick up this higher level and mark it as the surge when it's not. In general though, if a definite positive OPK then you would normally ovulate around 36hrs later (although can be anywhere between 12-48hrs later).

They are only classed as positive if your test line is same or darker in colour than the control line....even if you get 2 lines but your test line is even slightly paler than control line then it's classed a negative as no LH surge....it's this LH surge you're looking for.

I would try to avoid having a drink for around 4 hrs (which is what most OPKs recommend) and then testing again a little later to see what results on OPK are then.

Clomid can effect OPKs if you use them too soon after the last clomid pill...

http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/ovulation-tests/clomid-opks.htm

_"Clomid (Serophene/clomiphene citrate) can cause a false positive in OPKs if taken too soon after finishing the prescription. According to most of the manufacturers you should wait at least 3 days before using an OPK. If you take Clomid days 3-7 you can begin testing on day 10. If you take it 5-9, you should wait until day 12"_

Here's some more info....

http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/ovulation-tests/opk-faq.htm

"What is the best time of day to take the ovulation test?

_Unlike pregnancy tests, morning (first morning pee) is not the best time to collect samples for ovulation tests, as LH is synthesized in your body early in the morning and will not appear in your pee until the afternoon. The ideal time to test is in the afternoon, around 2pm, though testing may safely take place from 10am to early evening._

Q: Should I take the test the same time every day?

_Yes, be sure to test at the same time each day. Also, reduce your liquid intake around 2 hours before testing as a diluted liquid sample can prevent or hinder LH detection_

As well as the follicle tracking scans, are you having progesterone blood tests done as well ? These are usually done on cd (cycle day) 21 but this assumes you ovulated on cd14. Progesterone peaks at 7dpo (days past ovulation) so this is ideally when you should have it tested eg if you ovulated on cd20 then try and get progesterone tested on cd27 etc. Most clinics will look for a level of 30 nmol/l or over to indicate ovulation.

You may also want to consider charting your basal temperatures and cervical mucus....plus any ovulation symptoms you notice...putting all together can help you build up a pattern of your cycles. A good book is "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler and her website www.tcoyf.com ...and here's some links to some useful websites...

http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/bbt/bbtfaq.html

http://www.webwomb.com/checking_cervical_fluid.htm

http://www.webwomb.com/cervical_mucus_page.htm

http://www.webwomb.com/cervical_position_frame_page.htm

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cervix_checkup_(no_description).svg

Anyway, hope thats helped a little. 

Good luck
Natasha 

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## bettyc (Jul 27, 2009)

Thank u SO much for this, I was doing OPK tests first thing in the morning as u would with preg tests - whoops! 
Having a scan today anyway so hopefully they'll be able to see what's going on up there  , pretty sure they're planning on taking blood as well today - yippee! although been having period type pains as well so not really fancied getting up to cheeky stuff so I'll be gutted if it was ovulation...!!!
It's so dumb that once you're trying every little thing holds such significance, it has been great being on here and realising that i am not the only fruit loop who is obsessed by it all - really worry about boring family and friends with it all!
Again thanks for taking the time to give me so much infomation you're a total star!
X


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