Clomid seems to be shortening my cycle dramatically. Anyone else experience this?

[gea12]

Hello ladies. I'm 36, TTC #2 for 14 months. This was my second month on Clomid 50mg. A typical cycle for me is 24 to 26 days, with ovulation between CD 10 and 13. All blood work was normal, hormone levels are in normal ranges and husband's SA was perfect. He thought Clomid seemed like a good place to start to see if we could increase our chances of conceiving. But last month my cycle was 22 days long. My temperature was all over the place, low one day and high the next for the duration of the cycle. OPK was positive on 7/13, which was CD 10. We BD like crazy, but didn't conceive, AF arrived on CD 22. I started the second round of Clomid on CD 5, used an OPK starting the day after my period ended, and never got an LH surge. Today is CD 18 and I'm starting my AF. Had some spotting yesterday and it's picking up speed today. I'm going to call the clinic tomorrow, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience? I called them to see what they thought about the 22 day cycle and the wonky temperatures, and they sort of dismissed it as a 'one off' and told me it didn't have anything to do with Clomid. I'm not buying it though, as this month my cycle was even shorter. It HAS to be something to do with Clomid, right?

I'm planning on having the HSG this month, with the 14 day u/s and all that fun stuff. I was just really hopeful we wouldn't need it and the Clomid would be enough.

 

[LuckyW]

Interesting. I've been on clomid several times over the past year and had a couple unusually short cycles, but I've been assuming it's coincidence. As we get older our cycles naturally get shorter. I think I was around 38 when I realized my cycles were no longer 28 days, but 25. And awhile back, probably in my 20s, they used to be closer to 31 days. They also used to last longer, about 4-5 days. Now they are 2-3 days of bleeding.

Good luck with the HSG and getting better answers!

 

[Kiki09]

Clomid sometimes shortened my cycles too when I first started on it each time but would soon settle back to normal, this time it as not changed it as yet, am on my 2nd month.

 

[gea12]

Thank you, I feel better knowing it's not totally unheard of. I wondered too if it isn't just coincidence because I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore, but it still seems odd to me.

I called the clinic today and I have an appt to see the dr. on Friday. The medical assistant I talked to today mentioned I might think about skipping a month of Clomid until we know what's going on with the shortened cycles. I'll keep you posted.

 

[gea12]

Well, I had my appointment on Friday. I learned that Clomid can actually cause a luteal phase defect, which is exactly what happened. Apparently it's pretty rare, but not unheard of. So, I'm off clomid for the next round. I'm supposed to go in for the HSG on Monday, but I think I'm going to cancel the appointment. we need to take a month off and reassess. I never in my wildest dreams thought this would be such a challenge, and I need a break from all of it. I'll get the HSG next month, assuming we don't conceive this month and go from there. The fertility doctor said the next drug option would be femera with a progesterone chaser. I'm going to do my research on femera, because the stuff he had to say about it made me a little nervous. Mostly the side effects and the cost. He said the side effects are similar to clomid, and mine actually weren't too bad. but i was pretty irritable, and he said he wants to put me on a high dose of femera, so who knows what could come of that.

 

[LuckyW]

I never in my wildest dreams thought this would be such a challenge, and I need a break from all of it.

I totally hear you on this! I never expected all these hurdles we've come across. From fibroids to polyps to endometriosis, oh my. Myomectomies, hysterosalpingogram, hysteroscopy, wtf.

The funny thing was, we got pregnant the very first IUI we had with our RE (after all the tests and minor corrective surgeries and whatnot). But then we lost it and had to wait before we could try again.

Then there were new obstacles.