Clomid - can you take a break?

[leilani07]

Hi everyone :wave:

Problem: My Doctor told me I can only take Clomid for 6 months / cycles.

Just wondering if anyone knows if you can take Clomid for a few months and then take a break for a few months and then finish the last few months later?

I have taken it for 2 months but it is going to be difficult TTC in the next 2 months so I'd rather not "waste" those chances....if you know what I mean, and finish the last 4 months of the course in Aug, Sept, Oct & Nov.

Any advice gladly accepted.

Thanks :)

[baby dancer]

Leilani,
I know nothing about clomid but found this post on another thread. Thought it may help you :fingerscrossed:
Ilana


Hi Ally,

I havent used Clomid but am looking into it myself as I have PCOS and I am not currently ovulating at all. I want to TTC at the end of 2006.

This is what I found when I searched using google:

Ovulation Induction using Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate)

Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) is often the first drug used to induce ovulation in women with PCOS. It is a tablet taken for five consecutive days early in the menstrual cycle. It works on the pituitary gland by forcing it to stimulate the production of eggs. Regular ultrasounds should be done to monitor follicle growth and to help predict ovulation

Clomid is also implicated in causing ovarian cancer and should never be used for more than twelve cycles. Generally, if pregnancy has not occurred after six or seven it will not occur using Clomid and another therapy should be tried.

Clomid can be made more effective by increasing the dosage if ovulation has not occurred, or by combining Clomid with other medications. Many women with PCOS have become pregnant by taking a combination of Clomid and metformin (glucophage).

Clomid is known to make cervical mucus more hostile to sperm. This problem can be solved by combining Clomid treatment with artificial insemination with husband’s sperm.

Because it acts on the pituitary gland, Clomid can cause headaches, blurred vision and extreme mood swings. The mood swings are the most common side effect. Many women with PCOS have discussed the stress these mood swings put on their relationships. Before going on Clomid, take the time to explain to your partner that this medication will make you moody and you may be a little “difficult” for the duration of treatment.

While some would call Clomid the “Relationship Killer”, it is possible that some of the stress on your relationship is the fact that you have just entered a new phase. For most couples, taking Clomid is their first real experience of fertility treatment. It represents a failure to conceive normally, and it is a harsh reality to accept. This may also be a couple’s first ever experience of clinical sex. One of the key aspects of ovulation induction is being told when ovulation is expected. A couple will generally be instructed to have sex at least once every 48 hours until ovulation has been confirmed by blood test. Needless to say, it’s not very romantic.

I hope this helps somewhat!! :thumbsup:

[leilani07]

Thanks baby dancer :)

I have read similar information before starting to use Clomid. I guess it doesn't say anything there about not taking breaks in the treatment......so I'm assuming it won't harm me to stop for a while. It only said not to use it for too long huh?

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Any other Clomid users out there have experience with this?

[baby dancer]

No worries leilani, from reading that it would seem ok for you to have a break from clomid. Only seems to say not to take it for too long. Good luck :fingerscrossed:

[epiphany]

I took a break during my clomid treatment because I wasn't in the country...but it was only for a month.

I'd discuss with your Dr. I wouldn't imagine there would be any problems as long as you don't stop in the middle of a particular cycle. The treatments aren't cumulative...ie because you had it one month doesn't mean next month will be better...but you do have to take it for 5 days consecutively or it won't work during that cycle.

Good luck!

[Kat73]

I would definitely talk with your Dr. I did two months worth of treatment and then took about 6 months off, as was really stressed with the pressure to perform :eek: When I called my Dr to advise we were going to start treatment again, I was informed it needs to be continuous.

Sorry to confuse the situation, but that is what I was informed.

Hope someone can clear it up absolutely for you.

All the best. Kat

[leilani07]

Oh gosh :eek: I'd better ring and try to talk to my specialist then.....(she is sooo hard to pin down!)
My next appointment with her is this Friday, but unfortunatly AF has already started so I will be too late if I wait to see her (I have been taking it on days 5-9 of cycle and this is day 2 now!) It wouldn't be a problem except that the prescriptions she gives me are only for 2 months at a time, so I have NO tablets with me at the moment, and when I try to book into see her at the "right " time (i.e. just before / when AF is due to arrive she is already booked up - at least 4 weeks in advance! It is crazy!)
Big sigh....:rolleyes: just what I need, another bump in the TTC road!

[lizzymcfizzy]

leilani07 what ended up happening? any info?

[Believer]

leilani07.. I was taking 50 mg of chlomid for a couple months while the FS monitored my hormone levels. He bumped me up to 100mg where my body had a good response. I've taken the new dose for the last 7 months... no luck. He said he strongly advises my DH and I to do IVF now as he thinks I get too worked up to get pregnant quickly. We've been TTC for 2 years now and just had our first appointment with the IVF clinic this week. They were so reassuring there and we walked away feeling really positive. The new FS discussed a couple different options and we decided to do IUI. He said that if we continue with Chlomid we only have a 5% chance of conceiving since it hasn't happened yet, but if we do IUI we have a 15% chance. He told us he will only let us try 3 months and then go to IVF which has a 50% success rate. I have no idea if I just answered your question or rambled into oblivion. :ecomcity:

Good luck to everyone on this thread!:fingerscrossed:

[lizzymcfizzy]

Hi, just wanted to you know I am going to have to take a break myself.

I've done four cycles of clomid and each time my gyno has written me a script for clomid without needing an appointment. But now that I'm up to my 5th one, I need an appointment and guess what, I can't get in for a month! I'm due for AF this thursday.

The receptionists there assured me thats its ok to take a break :) I think maybe it could do me and my husband good, I'm not going to track my ovulation either.

Unless ofcourse I don't get my period :) :fingerscrossed:

[leilani07]

oh lizzymcfizzy, thanks for replying....twice!!! :o Sorry to stay away for so long. I did have to wait for my appointment because I could not get in contact with my specialist, and (luckily) she said that Clomid does not have to be taken in succession.
She basically said that my hormone levels were going well and that the one tablet that I am taking is enough to make me ovulate, but she was concerned that I wasn't pregnant yet. She is advising me to only do 2 more rounds of Clomid and then she would like to "refer me on" to a different type of fertility specialist. She didn't go into details just yet, but I am upset :crying:
Thanks for your reply too Believer....I may be in your shoes soon.......

[leilani07]

Hi, just wanted to you know I am going to have to take a break myself.

I've done four cycles of clomid and each time my gyno has written me a script for clomid without needing an appointment. But now that I'm up to my 5th one, I need an appointment and guess what, I can't get in for a month! I'm due for AF this thursday.

The receptionists there assured me thats its ok to take a break :) I think maybe it could do me and my husband good, I'm not going to track my ovulation either.

Unless ofcourse I don't get my period :) :fingerscrossed:

Good luck!!! My fingers are crossed for you too!