# How long should one take clomid



## lakeland terrier (Oct 26, 2009)

Hello I am new to this board. I am French, live in london and am 39 years old and had an ectopic pregnancyjavascript:void(0);
Sad. My gyne put me on clomid (50mg) to which I responded well (apart from the mood swings and the hot flashes...) ovulating every month but nothing happenned. After six months I had a hysteroscopy and a laparoscopy all went well and he unblocked the tube that had been blocked since the ectopic increasing my chances of conceiving. He wants me to take clomid for another 3 cycles. But I have doubts as I've read it thins the line of the uterus and that if it hasn't done anything before it wont. My gyne in France thinks I should move to more serious stuff and start the injections. I am seeing her at the end of November so will probably wait until I see her. But any view on the subject would be appreciated!

many thanks xxx


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## Anj (Apr 26, 2009)

Hello lakeland,
Its good news that they have unblocked your tube, if i was you i'd probably give clomid the extra 3 months seen as it made you ovulate previously. I'm on my 6th month of clomid and i have another 3 months to go, like you it has made me ovulate, but it is frustrating when it doesn't work.
Good luck with your decision.
xx


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## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

Hi there

It's ok to be prescribed clomid for up to 12 months at a time but often consultants prefer you to have a bit of a break after 6 months.

One of the side effects of clomid is that it may thin your womb lining but this isn't the case for everyone and side effects can vary month to month.

What cycle days are you taking the clomid ?  From what I've read, the earlier you take the clomid in your cycle, the more follicles develop, the less effect there is on your womb lining (ie thinning) & cervical mucus (ie drying) although there is no conclusive evidence/research on this.

I was prescribed 50mg clomid several years ago and took it for 6 months.  I ovulate fine naturally but was prescribed it to boost ie release more eggs and whilst I responded really well and it didn't have an adverse effect on my womb lining or cervical mucus, we didn't get a positive result, but I do have other things effecting my fertility and ovulation isn't one of them !

There are lots of women who take clomid for 12 months with not too many problems and there are ladies who have conceived after 6 cycles, after cycles even up to 12 cycles of taking clomid.  When articles say that if it's not worked within 6 months or so then it won't, what they're talking about is whether it's made you ovulate, not whether you've not got pregnant.  If you don't ovulate naturally and take clomid and you don't ovulate at all whilst on it for 6 months then it's unlikely that you will......but if you do ovulate naturally or whilst on clomid then it may take longer than 6 months to still conceive (if that makes sense) ?

If you're really unsure then I would discuss your concerns with your consultant and ask what alternative options he could suggest.  When you mention "injections" what do you mean....do you mean having injections during a natural cycle to try and conceive or do you mean moving on to IUI or IVF ?

Good luck whatever you decide 
Take care
Natasha


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## boola (Oct 28, 2009)

Hi Lakeland

I am in a similar position as you.  After my first ectopic 4yrs ago ( i conceived naturallly) I had the usual checks, PCOS, DH Check etc.... All were fine.  I do ovulate reguarly but only having my left tube so I can only get pregnant roughly every 2 months. Most women ovulate on alternate sides but not all.  

So to increase my chances, the consultant put me on clomid 50mg.  I have taken 5 cycles.  July 08 resulted in BFP but ended in ovarian ectopic, May 09 was also BFP but ended in miscarriage. The last 3 cycles have been BFN so I understand how you feel. 

Like you I am also concerned about taking anymore because producing more eggs means having less eggs of good quality as I get older. It's all very confusing  

I would take the advice of the last post.  Try another 3 months on clomid and see what happens. If it doesn't work again   but it worked for me twice   (both times I had my legs in the air for 30mins after  , and the last 3 times I didn't.  Make what you like of that   lol)

Good luck and let us know how you get on. 
L x


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## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

boola said:


> I do ovulate reguarly but only having my left tube so I can only get pregnant roughly every 2 months. Most women ovulate on alternate sides but not all.
> 
> Like you I am also concerned about taking anymore because producing more eggs means having less eggs of good quality as I get older. It's all very confusing


Hi boola

Although you only have one tube, sometimes our body can compensate and if egg released from ovary that has no fallopian tube, then the egg may waft over to where there is a tube. Also, it's a bit of a myth that women ovulate different ovary on alternate months....some women may ovulate from the same ovary for several months in a row....we're just complex things aren't we !?  I saw in another of your posts that you only take clomid every other month because of the missing tube but why could you not take every month and increase your chances ? You may find that you ovulate from both ovaries at the same time....I did when I was on it.

As for having less good quality eggs as you get older if you produce more now, it does't really work that way. We are all different so this will vary between women but whether you produce more now or later, the quality will decline with age....as will your ovarian reserve diminish but releasing a few more eggs now won't have that much of an effect on your reserve later on.

A woman is born with about 1-2 million immature eggs. By the time a woman reaches puberty there are only about 400,000 eggs left. With each period cycle, around a thousand eggs are lost and usually only one follicle will actually mature and contain an egg. So for a woman who doesn't have any fertility treatment and ovulated every month until menopause, only about 400 will ever mature.....so unless you have significantly low ovarian reserve then you should have plenty of potential eggs.

I ovulate fine naturally but when I was on clomid to boost I released 2 or 3 eggs each month, 6 months in total (when I was 36). I've since gone on to have 4 fresh IVF cycles (currently on my 5th) and each time I've produced lots of eggs...1st IVF (when I was 37) I had 10 eggs collected, then next was 19 eggs, next was 16 and last was 30 eggs. All my hormone levels are still really good and low, especially for my age (I'm 40) ....so although I've produced plenty of eggs through treatment, plus the ones I release every month when I ovulate naturally, I've still got a healthy reserve left 

So try not to worry about "running out of eggs".....assuming your FSH and AMH levels are good then you should be fine.

Has your consultant advised what your next steps will be, after the clomid ? Have they recommended IUI or IVF ?

Hope that helps ? 

Good luck  
Natasha


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## boola (Oct 28, 2009)

Hi Minxy

Thanks for that, you are a fountain of knowledge  

It definitely makes me feel better about taking clomid.  I had heard about the egg 'jumping' to the other side when there is no tube but the consultant said it was very unlikely if not impossible.  But it was another consultant who had told me in the first place! Its crazy. 

I know its weird but I can feel my ovulation, and from which side.  This is something I felt from my teens and up until this baby journey, it didn't occur to me how useful it could be.  I've always been scared to take clomid every month in case it doesn't work and I get further disappointment. I stop trying for a couple of months from time to time to give myself a breather.  Sometimes it's a battle between my womb,heart & head  

I've got an appoinment with my GP next week to hopefully start a fresh treatment plan. I need an new view on my options.  I been speaking to some girls on another thread in my area so it'll be good to get their advice too. 

Big hugs 
Lou x


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## ☼♥ Minxy ♥☼ © (Jan 13, 2005)

Hi again

Glad I could help a little bit...although obviously I'm not medically qualified  

Good luck  
Natasha

PS....Thanks for your kind message on my profile


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## Weaselwife (Aug 19, 2009)

Hiya,

I was on clomid for 5 months. starting on 50mg, ending on 150mg. I had fears about how long to take and MC. My consultant at the time said it was safe to take it for 9 months (NHS). I got a 2nd opinion private and they said up to a year is considered safe, although it's good to do 6 months, then break and do a further 6 months. I also heard the longer you take it, the chances are weaker. It depends who you speak to!! I came off it after 5 months having never ovulated (well, not that bloods showed). I thought if I was on clomid, with PCOS I should be having scans to at least see what's going on and NHS couldn't do that. Parallel, the NHS packed me off with a 6 month supply of Metformin  and waved  I took that for a while, but it wasn't doing anything, and I didn't need to loose any weight. Feeling  , we opted out and went Private...now on our merry way through IUI for a bit.

Lesson : it's good to get a 2nd opinion if you feel your not getting anywhere with your consultant. <Just my take> My actual GP was amazingly supportive and frustrated and understood why we moved away from NHS.

Clomid works for some people, and not for others, it's def worth trying.
WW


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## lakeland terrier (Oct 26, 2009)

Thank you so much for all your great feedback it has really reassured me! And it's so helpful to hear other women with similar experiences I am seeing my consultant Monday but you are probably right another 3 months won't hurt. I am not taking clomid this month as hubby will be on a business trip on the key days   don't you love it when that happens...

Hope you ladies have a lovely weekend!!

xxx


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