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[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
Has your doctor prescribed Clomid? Thinking about taking it? How much does Clomid really increase your chances of pregnancy, anyway?
The short answers:
—Medical research: Quite a bit if you have PCOS or don’t ovulate. NOT AT ALL (taken by itself) if you have unexplained infertility. Read below for more specifics!
—My experience: Didn’t try it (and I’m glad now, since I have unexplained infertility).
–How to do it: Take as prescribed by your doctor. I would question your doctor on this first, though, if you do not have PCOS and it appears you ovulate normally. Doctors often prescribe this when they don’t know your issue just to try something. If you do take it, typically doctors tell you to take it starting on day 3ish of your cycle for 5 days. Doctors will usually start you at the lowest dose — 50 mg — to see how your body reacts and to make sure you don’t produce more than 1 egg per cycle (and have multiples!). See my other post about Clomid and multiples here.
Continue reading below if you’re interested in finding out more details (the long answers)…
*Or, click here for more answers to your other TTC questions!
Now, for the long answers…
The medical research
–What does Clomid do? According to Galan, Clomid tricks your body into thinking that your estrogen levels are lower than they actually are. The pituitary gland then increases FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone). This causes the ovary to produce an egg. (This is also why too much Clomid might make your body produce more than one egg.)
–In one study by Davidson, 1 of 6 patients with PCOS treated with Clomid got pregnant (after 5 cycles). In that same study, Clomid did not help patients with unexplained infertility. (Note that this was a very small study.)
–In another study by Seyedoshohadaei, 60 women with PCOS who did not ovulate were given Clomid. After 6 months, 73.4% ovulated and 64% got pregnant.
–According to this study by Bhattacharya, women with unexplained infertility were actually more likely to get pregnant without Clomid. In the six-month study, 32/193 (17%) got pregnant by just timing intercourse and 26/192 (14%) got pregnant using Clomid. Side effects of abdominal pain, bloating, hot flashes, nausea, and headaches were reported in 10-20% of women. This study is cited here as well from a committee of doctors from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Side effects?
–Side effects: A study by Blenner reported that 9 out of 14 women taking Clomid reported mood swings. (Note that this was a small study.)
—Other side effects: Because of the anti-estrogen properties of Clomid, some studies have shown that Clomid causes a thin endometrium (in 41% of women taking it), which is a “critical factor of implantation failure” (see this summary by Takasaki of several medical studies). This same study showed that taking a lower dose of Clomid and taking it earlier in the cycle (doctors will tell you to take it starting on different days) helps with endometrial thickness.
–Clomid can also dry up cervical mucus — taking Robitussin, believe it or not, can actually help remedy that problem. (But ask your doctor first before mixing medications!)
My experience
–My first OB prescribed me with Clomid pretty quick (as do most doctors)…and although I picked it up, it’s still sitting in my cupboard. However, my gut (after researching a tiny bit about what it does) told me that there was no reason for me to take it — and after digging more into the research (I ovulate regularly, do not have PCOS, and have “unexplained infertility”), it seems that it would have been a waste of my time to try it!
–This is why I highly recommend doing your own research — doctors sometimes try a “one size fits all” approach to treatment…which makes me mad, because why would Clomid be the first-line of treatment for unexplained infertility since studies show it doesn’t help?!
—An RE I saw later did recommend Clomid and IUI simultaneously — which research (see this study by Deaton) has shown can be more effective to increase your chances of pregnancy (9.5% pregnant after 8 months of Clomid/IUI vs. 3.3% timed intercourse).
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