Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Oh, Clomid, You Devil In Disguise.


Clomid. The name alone sends chills down my spine. Dr. K decided that our first plan of action would be to put me on a medication called Clomid. It's supposed to help you make healthy eggs and help you to ovulate. She mentioned a SLIGHTLY increased chance of multiple births, but that didn't worry me. When you've been trying so hard for so long, you don't let the thought of a whole baseball team of kids scare you.

I started on Clomid April 2010. My dosage was 100mg daily for cycle days 3-8. This is basically to get those eggies(or "follies") growing. There were TONS of side effects I was warned about and I was a little scared, to be honest. Luckily, I didn't really experience any. On cycle day 10, I went in for an Ultrasound to see if things were brewing. I took my mom with me for moral support. Plus, she's a nurse, so she remembers to ask questions that I forget. The doctor came in and said "So, how do you feel about twins? Or TRIPLETS?" I thought I was gonna pass out! I looked at my mom and she said, "Don't look at me!" The good news was that the Clomid had worked...and worked WELL! I had 3 very beautiful, viable follies, any of which(or ALL of which) had a chance of being fertilized. Basically, she told me if the prospect of multiples didn't scare me, to go home and get to gettin! LOL! In the TTC world, getting it on is referred to as doing the "Baby Dance." So Kris and I were diligent in following doctors orders!

Ovulation kits have never worked for me. Even before I started seeing Dr. K, I could never get a positive result. I assumed I was doing it wrong. But really, how many ways ARE there to pee on a stick?! I tried them anyway, got what I thought was a positive result, then followed a strict Baby Dancing schedule(so romantic, I know!) After Ovulation is the time known as the Two Week Wait. This is the 2 weeks before your monthly visitor drops by when you obsess over every cramp, every headache, thinking everything is a sign of pregnancy. It's like waiting for an acceptance letter for college. I would go to bed CONVINCED I was pregnant, then wake up knowing there was no way! This went on for 2 weeks. Of course, the results were negative. It SUCKED!!

On to cycle 2 of the Clomid. Same dosage, but for one extra day. That alone scared me! If I could end up with the possibility of triplets after 6 days, how many could I end up with after taking it for 7 days?!? But I trudged along and waited for my monthly Ultrasound. I wasn't prepared for what the doctor told me. As she was checking me out she said, "What in the WORLD?!" For a brief, shining moment, I thought, "Oh my gosh! I took the test too soon and I AM pregnant!" Yeah, no. The Clomid had turned my body into kind of a radioactive swamp, you could say. You know how you get like fish with 7 eyes and deformed ducks and stuff? Yep, that was my body! I had at least 23 eggs that were produced due to the Clomid! And they were MASSIVE! One of them, I kid you not, measured in at a WHOPPING 5cm!! That's half of the dilation needed to deliver a baby! See example in link below to get an idea!
http://www.ahutton.com/cgw/clipart-hosp/Effacement%20&%20Dilation%20Chart%20OF-3-spanish.jpg

Needless to say, Dr. K decided Clomid wasn't going to work for us. My body just wasn't ovulating at all, which is, once again, directly linked to the PCOS. In fact, I had to go on birth control for a month to kill all of my Teenaged Mutant Ninja Follicles off! Boy did THAT suck! In my head I'm like, ok, I came to the doctor to help me get pregnant and she's putting me on THE PILL?!? But it was, of course, a necessary evil. Not to mention, I couldn't button my pants, I was so swollen!

After that we took a couple months off. Partly because of financial reasons, partly for emotional ones. We have a new plan of action. Next up is a drug called Femara. I've heard wonderful things about it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We go back to the doctor next month.

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