Question For Those Who've Taken Clomid

[Laennie]

I am somewhat self diagnosed celiac. My blood test was negative but while waiting for the results my doc told me to give gluten free a shot. Amazing difference & the 2 times I have accidentally gotten glutened I had bad reactions.

It's only been about 11 weeks since I've been gluten free but I was already having some obvious female issues. We started trying to have our 2nd child in July so my OB already had started me on a plan. I took birth control for about 2 months to try & get my hormones back to a normal level & then started clomid. First cycle I didn't even come close to ovulating. Second cycle I did ovulate but my levels weren't what the doctor wanted to see so now that I've just started my cycle again I'll be taking 150mg of clomiphene a day. The doc said it's a really high dose but he wants to try it for 1 cycle & see how I do. He warned me that I would probably be a lot more tender & have more pain.

1st cycle I had a little pain, this cycle almost none. What I have seemed to notice though, & I'm wondering if anyone else experienced this, is that my periods seem to get worse with each cycle. I never used to have much cramping most of the time but now I feel completely miserable, at times it comes close to the stomach pain I used to get from gluten. I've also noticed I seem to spot for a day or two & then get hit full force with cramps & heavy flow.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has had similar experiences. Also for those who did take clomid, I'm curious how long were you on it before you got pregnant? Oh also he has me taking 850mg of metformin a day too. Apparently they use that for fertility now too.

Thanks!

[SGWhiskers]

Yes. It was years ago and I don't remember my dosages. I was diagnosed with endometriosis prior to persuing infertility treatment. I ovulated on my own, but we were trying to stimulate multiple folicle production. I had had a laparoscopy to remove the endometriosis some time before the clomid, and my periods were manageable with ibuprofin and vicoden. After the clomid, the periods were MUCH worse and stayed that way. I had to move up to percocet and eventually a second laparoscopy. The second laparoscopy wasn't a surprise for me, but I think if I hadn't taken the clomid, I would have been able to delay that surgery for a while longer.

A bit of good news is that while the clomid didn't work for me and we were sent on to IVF with egg donation, after my celiac diagnosis and a period of recovery, I got pregnant spontaneously. Hubby had really bad numbers too, so this was a great surprise. Hopefully your diagnosis and gluten-free diet will speed the process along and make it nice and inexpensive for you.

Good luck.

[shimma]

Hi Laennie - I am currently on Clomid (100 mg) and this is my fifth course. I have always had really painful periods, but they do seem to be even crampier on Clomid (waking me up in the middle of the night, for instance). I also spot for about half a day before the full period starts, which was new for me.

Hopefully what you'll find is that going gluten-free will help with your fertility issues. I know a number of people have had success getting pregnant after following a strict gluten-free diet (it may take a few months). In my situation, I haven't had trouble ovulating but the doctor wants to increase the odds of pregnancy, hence the Clomid. My husband has some male factor issues that we're trying to overcome.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Laennie]

Thanks for the info. I have been a bit distracted the last week & a half. Ended up catching pneumonia & I'm finally back up & running around this week.

I should be ovulating in the next day or two now. This cycle my doc decided to move me up to 150mg to try it. He warned me I would be more tender etc because we're really overstimulating the ovaries. I am noticing that tenderness already. I really, really hope I get pregnant this time because I'm really dreading a period after this lol. I'm just a little worried because I've been on antibiotics of one kind or another pretty much since I started taking the clomid & yesterday, after 12 days of antibiotics I'm finally done. No one could tell us if the antibiotics might lessen the effectiveness of the clomid etc. I'm thinking it might not really since I've noticed tenderness the last few days.

This will also be my 3rd full cycle gluten free so hopefully that will help. My fear initially was that going gluten free I'd magically be better & taking the clomid would just end up with me being like octo-mom or something lol. So far even with the clomid things have not been too much better but with taking this high of a dose this cycle, my husband & I are definitely having that fear lol.

Thanks again. I really appreciate being able to get info & support here from people who've been there, done that. Now just wish me pregnancy luck (with no more than twins haha)

[HeidiB]

On 26/01/2011 at 7:51 AM, Laennie said:

Thanks for the info. I have been a bit distracted the last week & a half. Ended up catching pneumonia & I'm finally back up & running around this week.

 

I should be ovulating in the next day or two now. This cycle my doc decided to move me up to 150mg to try it. He warned me I would be more tender etc because we're really overstimulating the ovaries. I am noticing that tenderness already. I really, really hope I get pregnant this time because I'm really dreading a period after this lol. I'm just a little worried because I've been on antibiotics of one kind or another pretty much since I started taking the clomid & yesterday, after 12 days of antibiotics I'm finally done. No one could tell us if the antibiotics might lessen the effectiveness of the clomid etc. I'm thinking it might not really since I've noticed tenderness the last few days.

 

This will also be my 3rd full cycle gluten free so hopefully that will help. My fear initially was that going gluten free I'd magically be better & taking the clomid would just end up with me being like octo-mom or something lol. So far even with the clomid things have not been too much better but with taking this high of a dose this cycle, my husband & I are definitely having that fear lol.

 

Thanks again. I really appreciate being able to get info & support here from people who've been there, done that. Now just wish me pregnancy luck (with no more than twins haha)

Hey Laennie, I am coeliac and we struggled for 5 years to have children. Ectopics and miscarriages. Put on clomid for a year and was in hospital every time I ovulated and had my period. Never had pain for them before. They told us ivf but we didn’t agree for that after only 1 year. All the health issues I had just kept getting worse . I started going gluten free and that seemed to help but found that there were some gluten-free products that still made me sick. We removed all lactose and stopped eating anything that was on my list of possible things that could affect me. This includes things like maltodextrin monoglycerides etc. Coeliac to me does just mean gluten free. I eat only fresh produce and try to make the rest myself. You really should get tested. Even if it is negative it will most likely mean you are non coeliac gluten sensitivity. Either way the diet should be the same (we have both in my family as it is heredity).  So where am I going with all this???? After seven months of only fresh produce, alll health issues went away, even ones from birth that they couldn’t explain. My teeth are no longer see through looking as the enamel is coming back. ASO, they said it couldn’t happen naturally but I am also 11 weeks pregnant. Just like that. I swear by it. I would recommend you see a doctor and dietician if you feel you are coeliac or NCGS. Hope this helps. Cheers Heidi p.s.  I forgot to mention, medication can contain gluten and lactose so always advise the pharmacist about your condition so that they can ensure they give you the right stuff.