My waking temp was 98. It appears clear to me that I ovulated on CD28. No chance of pregnancy, so we'll start over again next cycle.
I really appreciate all of your advice and comments on how/if Clomid worked for you and what your cycle lengths were. Some of you have suggested I see an RE, and with good reason. Here's why I'm not currently seeing an RE:
Clomid cycle 2, 100 mg: I went to an RE for a second opinion. He suggested monitoring, and I came back on CD13. Biggest follie was 11 mm, and he said that while he could monitor me again in a few days, he suspected this cycle was a bust. I believed him, cried a little that night (it was Valentine's Day), then went forward, determined to start Letrozole next time around under his care. But I ovulated on CD18, and by sheer coincidence (mostly), M and I had well-timed sex the night before ovulation.
Clomid cycle 3, 100 mg: If I had continued with the RE, he probably would have checked me again, and again, and again, until finally, after at least four or five ultrasounds, he would have given me the hCG shot shortly before CD28. Out of pocket, that would have cost me more than $1,200.
I made the decision that since I didn't appear to be getting any better care from my RE than from my OB (who seems like a well-informed, supportive doctor), I would stick with my OB for the time being--especially since Clomid appeared to be working.
This next cycle, whether the OB puts me on 150 mg Clomid or on Letrozole (because she's going to want my cycles to be shorter), I'm going to request monitoring. If she refuses, or if I find that she is opposed to prescribing Letrozole now or in the future, I will seriously consider switching permanently to the RE. For now, I feel I have enough information about the options available (thanks to you guys and my other Web searches) to be able to know when my OB isn't giving me the care I need.
I'm 29, and we've been trying to conceive for a year now. Although I'm getting pretty darned impatient, I know that I still have the luxury of time. If I wanted the best possible chance of getting pregnant RIGHT NOW, and money were no object, I would go straight to IVF. As it is, I was even talking last night about requesting an IUI. But M (wise man that he is) brought up a good point--if we jump ahead a few steps now, chances are we won't ever be able to go back.
For now, I want to continue gathering data about myself and my response to medications. I have to remember that I really have only had a chance of getting pregnant on Clomid once. So, the fact that I'm not pregnant yet does not frustrate me. What I do want is to be able to better predict my ovulation day (especially given M's problems). That can be solved through monitoring.
Thanks for sticking with me through this long, rambling post! I'll leave you with one final thought: Barren Mare brings up an interesting point with her Stay Puft Marshmallow Man theory. Both times I ovulated on Clomid, I had already given up the cycle for lost. Hence I wasn't QUITE as focused on trying to conceive as I had been previously. Hmmm. I sincerely, sincerely hope that was just a coincidence. Because I don't even want to think about what it means for all of us if the assvice that we should "just relax" proves to be even a little bit true. Just like Ray in "Ghostbusters," there is no way that I can just "not think about it."
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4 comments:
Your reasons for sticking with your OB make sense to me-- also keep in mind that not all REs are going to use the same protocol or have the same thoughts or methods. It's a good thing because what works for some of us doesn't work for others- and this way we can change to another one if needed. Good luck with your cycles.
I'm confused - why does your RE do so many u/s? I only get 2 per cycle: my CD3 scan to check for cysts and one around Day 12-ish to check my follicle progress.
I'm swapping to letrazole this cycle as well, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares to clomid. The letrazole is actually my RE's drug of choice because it allows him more control over my cycle.
Sharah--my RE would have done more ultrasounds because if I had gone in on CD13, my follicles would have probably been less than 10mm. Actually, he probably wouldn't have done a bunch of ultrasounds, because he would have given up on me, like he did the last cycle. Ovulating on CD28 on Clomid is definitely not normal. I don't know if that means I'm Clomid-resistant or not. I'm certain my OB will either bump me up to 150mg (I dread the mood swings), or switch me to Letrozole. I know she also wants to put me on Metformin, which will be fun, fun, fun.
I'll probably know within a few cycles whether my OB will be able to give me the care I need. And yes, my RE likes Letrozole, too--he and his colleagues were really kind of miffed when that flawed study came out about the birth defects. But my RE is a professor at a medical college, so I trust his opinion when he says he thinks that study is shit.
Ah, I understand now.
I'm not usually a sunshine-and-daisies type of girl, but one of my buddy group members never responded to clomid. No ovulation at any level. She did one femara cycle and is now 20-something weeks with boy/boy twins. So it could very well just be your body's response to clomid.
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