UK girls - clomid/PCOS info please

[Girly123]

Hey girls.

A brief history. I am 27 and have been off the bc pill for 2 years. I was initially diagnosed with PCOS 7/8 years ago but didn't want a baby then so I went on bc pill. I don't have periods at all due to it and was put on metformin 4/5 months ago. I did have one period after about 2 months when I had increased by dosage to 3 pills a day (from 2). This was my first 'natural' period in over 10 years. Since then I have had nothing.

I have an appointment with gynae infertility dr next week (been waiting soooo long to finally get this referral) and wonder what the normal procedure is with clomid etc.

I was seeing an endocrinologist and he wrote the letter for GP to give me metformin and if it didn't work to give the clomid however my GP refused to give clomid saying they are not allowed to, hence waiting for this referral.

I have heard girls have 3 rounds of clomid is that the max that they allow on the NHS? I have heard some have CD21 bloods etc how do they decide who does? Just wanting to know what they normally do and what are the stages after clomid if that is unsuccessful?

Thanks girls xx

 

[keri 01]

Hi there

I'm currently on month 3 of Clomid I was giving a prescription of 6 months. If it doesn't work it will be ivf. I've already been referred for nhs ivf because the waiting list can take a while.
The first round of Clomid u get a scan and blood test just to make sure it's not over stimulating your ovaries and to check to see if you ovulated. They might put the dose up if you haven't. After the first month they don't monitor you unless there is a problem.

 

[Lemonade]

I think it differs from place to place. At my first consultant appointment, he sent me for an HSG (like you, I had already previously been diagnosed with PCOS). Then at the next appointment, he looked over the results and prescribed 50mg of Clomid. That was the last time I saw him because the nurses at the infertility clinic managed my care and prescribed Clomid after that. He did say the next steps would be ovarian drilling, then IUI, then IVF if Clomid didn't work.

My fertility clinic do follicle monitoring and "CD 21" bloods until they see a successful ovulation (obviously if they don't, then it would be 3 rounds max - 50mg, 100mg, 150mg) and then prescribe 6 more rounds of Clomid. It didn't make me ovulate well until the third round (150mg), so I was given 9 rounds in total (but got pregnant on the 6th round).

Good luck!

 

[heres_hoping]

It certainly does vary across the country. I had a hycosy first to check tubes, which they really should do as no point in doing clomid if a tube is blocked! My clinic scanned every cycle to check I wasn't producing too many eggs, some cycles they gave me an injection to force ovulation, some they didn't, depending on how many eggs I had. But, they never did day 21 bloods! I tracked my bbt so knew when I ovulated, they told me to just do OPKs. I had six rounds of clomid, ovulated in five of them but no BFP, so had ovarian drilling in March. That was about a year after starting with the clinic.

I am now waiting to see what my body does on it's own. I have a follow up in July, when if I have not got pregnant or at least a regular cycle, I think they will start me on clomid again, because i did respond well to it. After that they told me it's IVF As they don't believe IUI increases the chances enough for the cost.

They will explain it all at your appointment, good luck!

 

[day_dreamer]

Have you had your appointment yet?

I have mine in 3 weeks and interested to hear how it went...

 

[Girly123]

Yer I had my appointment yesterday. It was quick but they have asked for me to have a smear, sti tests, ultrasound, hsg and my OH to have a sperm test and when they all come back clear they will start me on clomid for 6 cycles. I am due to go back in Sept (3months) once all tests are done xx

 

[day_dreamer]

Ah man! September is ages away! I just want metformin for the time being.