I'm curious if anyone out there just didn't respond to clomid or femara either? And if so, what did you do next, or what worked? I'm pretty sure I'll need to do injectables next and I'm worried that's not going to work too.
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I did not respond to my first round of clomid @ 50 mg. My RE wanted me to move right to 100 mg, but I put the brakes on that. While I'm on the express train to baby town, we currently can't afford more aggressive approaches such as injectables and IVF, which seemed like the logical next step if I didn't respond to 100 mg. So I decided to explore changing my diet and getting my hormones under control, I have PCOS and it's not unusual for clomid not work on PCOS patients. The more "natural" approach is working, I've never felt better and according to my chart I ovulated this month.
My long winded point is I feel more in control of my TTC journey than I was with my RE and worrying about "what was going to happen if..."
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@TheReelDeal: There are actually plenty of treatments left if 50mg Clomid doesn't work. You can do 100, 150, or Femara at 2.5, 5 and 7.5. Unfortunately for me, I have tried all of them and had very little response. That's fine for you if you want to wait it out and try a more natural approach, an RE isn't for everyone.
But I'm not interested in the natural approach. Without an RE it could be years before I see any progress, and at almost 35 I don't have that luxury.
I was really hoping with this thread I might get a response from someone who has actually gone through the oral medications without success, but was able to ovulate on injectables, so that I can have some hope this isn't all pointless.
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I don't have any experience with this, but hope the clomid/femara work out for you and that someone can chime in with more helpful words for you!
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Ok this is going to be vague and probably not helpful, but I remember a few ladies on our old infertility thread that had a lot of difficulty responding to clomid/femara. I believe there were conceptions with injectables + IUI or IVF when the pills just weren't creating a response. The response can still be slower than average, but you get there nonetheless. Injectables can be SOOOO much stronger than the pills and they can be tweaked and adjusted so much more carefully than the pills that I think it's very rare for someone not to respond at all. Good luck!
ETA: this was the original 1 or 2 IF threads on the other bee if you want to do any digging.
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@MrsCB: I didn't respond to Clomid or Femara. I was on the highest dose of both. I did do injectibles and it worked, though I was deemed a slow responder so I ended up doing injections for three weeks before both of my IUI's (I got a BFP on my second IUI). I was on Follistim and I liked it so much better than the pills. I didn't have any side effects at all. The very first shot was hard to do, but after that it was a breeze.
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@sweetkate: I think you were who I was remembering!
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I agree with @MerryC, they can change the dosage of the injectibles at any time during the process. If you are responding too quickly (which can hinder the quality of the egg) they can lower the dose. Or if you aren't responding enough they can raise it. With injectibles there is also much more monitoring. I was in the office every three days for ultrasound and bloodwork, every other day closer towards the end.
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@MerryC: Probably! That was such a frustrating time, I was so happy when we switched RE's!
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@spaniellove:, @MerryC: Thanks!
@sweetkate: Thank you, that's exactly the kind of info I was hoping to hear. It's really good to know that something worked for you. I've been worried about the monitoring too. My doctor said it would be much more frequent, and I already have had blood work so much my arms are just a mess. Every 3 days I can probably deal with, and every other day for a limited time. I was worried it was going to be every day.
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@MrsCB: Most of the bloodwork is done at the end. Once I had some follicles that were over a certain size the RE wanted to check my estrogen level to make sure I wouldn't produce too many follicles. Its been awhile but I'm trying to remember the way my RE explained the difference between how Clomid/Femara and Injectibles work. I think the Clomid/Femara try to get your system to all work together by producing hormones while the injectibles bypass it and basically replace the hormones and tell your system what needs to be done. If that makes any sense at all!
My office was very proactive with monitoring. It was tough having to do injections for three weeks but that first week I think I only went in once. After that it picked up. It just all depends on how slow or fast you are responding.
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@MrsCB: I'm wondering if anyone has ever done Clomid AND injectables? I responded to the Clomid on my first cycle, but it was unsuccessful. And I only had 2 mature follicles - which I thought was plenty, but it turns out my doctor wants to see more. So now, this round I am on Clomid and then after my earlier monitoring appointment they will determine if I will be injecting Bravelle. I guess this will help stimulate more follicles if the Clomid response isn't great enough? I don't know. I hear ya on the luxury of age. If I don't get pregnant soon, I will be 35 by the time I have my first. (If I'm that lucky...) It's time our bodies responded!!!
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@sweetooth: Hmm, I never heard of Clomid + injectables, but I've heard of Femara + injectables so I guess it's not that out there. How many follicles does your doctor want to see? I would've thought 2 would be good, because they don't want to see too many or the risk of multiples would be too high.
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@TheReelDeal: just wanted to tell you that I responded to 100mg of clomid and not 50mg. That's really common.
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@MrsCB: I was surprised when she said that she wants to see 4 good follicles. I could have sworn in the beginning that she said if we saw too many we would call off the IUI. I personally think it is more of a timing thing. I feel like my first IUI happened too late. I ovulated early. So I'm hoping the early monitoring will help this time.
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I know this is a rather old post but I am so glad I stumble across it. Today I stopped responding to Letrozle 7.5. My follicle actually reduced on CD14 from CD12. So discouraging. I'm waiting now for an RE consult to discuss next moves. We briefly spoke about injections but nothing was final regarding that. I'm at a loss. I have PCOS and I do not ovulate or get a period with out medication. No matter how clean my diet and exercise is. I am 35 to and feeling the pressure!
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