Clomid Eligibility

[Bambi2626]

Does anybody know how long you have to be be ttc in order to get clomid on the NHS?

We have been try to conceive for just under a year, but I am suffering from post-pill amenorrhea and so I do not ovulate. I have an appointment with my GP next week and I am hoping to discuss the possibility of clomid.

I have trawled the internet and cannot find a single bit of guidance about clomid. I have also called my local

CCG who just told me I would need to discuss it with my GP. I just want to be armed with all the facts before my appointment.

Thanks in advance

[Peanutchips]

Hey, I have PCOS so don’t ovulate regularly. I went to my GP within my first year of trying and was referred to the fertility clinic at my local hospital. From being referred to getting started on Clomid it was probably about 3-4 months, as had to have tests etc before starting. Hope it’s quicker for you xx

[Bambi2626 in reply to Peanutchips]

Thanks for your reply!

That actually sounds pretty quick! My GP told me to come back if i still haven’t started to ovulate regularly after 18 months, but I think that is just ridiculous. I have changed GPs, so I hope my new one will take me more seriously. Xx

[Peanutchips in reply to Bambi2626]

Yes, if you’re not ovulating it’s a complete waste of time to wait. Hope you get success soon xxx

[Bambi2626 in reply to Peanutchips]

You too! Hopefully clomid will be the answer xxx

[Lucyhannah1]

From my experience you need to tell the doctor you have been trying to conceive for over a year for them to start doing investigations even if you know you have PCOS etc which I had so I wasn’t ovulating regularly.

They will then refer you for blood tests and an appointment with a fertility specialist who will discuss clomid but I don’t think you can get it from your GP. Hope this helps!

[Bambi2626 in reply to Lucyhannah1]

Thanks for your reply. We are just coming up to the one year mark, so I am hoping that will be long enough for them to refer us. It seems so silly that the time frame is the same for woman who have normal regular cycles and woman who have problems. You would never be told to come back after a year if there were clear issues with any other system in the body. I don’t see why the reproductive system should be treated so differently!

[Lucyhannah1 in reply to Bambi2626]

I know!! To be honest I feel like I wasted a lot of time with the NHS but hopefully you have a more positive experience! Clomid & metformin didn’t work for me Unfortunately so I ended up having IVF! I was lucky it worked first time for me. Good luck!! X

[Bambi2626 in reply to Lucyhannah1]

Congratulations on the successful IVF! We have discussed going private if the GP is of no help, but it just costs so much! X

[Lucyhannah1 in reply to Bambi2626]

It is so expensive! If you can get a free cycle on the nhs it’s worth it. I couldn’t anyway because my partner has children from a previous relationship even though I don’t! It can just be quite a long process. Had I known the clomid and metformin wouldn’t work I would of just gone straight for ivf! X

[Bambi2626 in reply to Lucyhannah1]

I find that rule so unfair. Every woman deserves the chance to get pregnant, regardless of whether their partner has children from a previous relationship! Yes we would much prefer to try and get a round of clomid on the NHS if we can, for the fact that it may not work and it could potentially waste a lot of money. But at the same time, we do not want to wait years for a referral, as we know the journey to a baby can be very long and complicated! X

[Lucyhannah1 in reply to Bambi2626]

I don’t blame you! It’s taken me 5 years to get pregnant and that’s with all the tests, scans, dye in my womb to check tubes aren’t blocked! Then they gave me clomid and metformin after that. I did 5 cycles of clomid and didn’t bother with the 6th as I just felt like my body needed the break! I personally got a lot more answers privately but every nhs trust is different so you never know!! My advise would to just be persistent and when you to the doctor just say you’ve been trying for over a year! X

[Bambi2626 in reply to Lucyhannah1]

Wow, 5 years is such a long time, I take my hat off to you! I'm so glad you got there in the end! I am going to try and be as persistent as possible when I speak to my GP, I just wish it was a face to face appointment rather than on the phone, as I feel it may be easier for them to be more dismissive on the phone. Thanks for all the information and advice. X

[Lucyhannah1 in reply to Bambi2626]

Thanks, still not fully there yet... I’m 29 weeks I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until she is here!!

Wishing you all the best, you will get there! X

[LaceyS90]

It all depends on your location.

I'm in the South East & I wasn't taken seriously at all. I decided to seek help after 2 years of ttc and was told to loose weight & keep trying. At this point I was literally only a few pounds overweight so I was a bit sceptical and annoyed. I knew I wasn't ovulating regularly but they didn't listen. It put me off trying to seek help! We got to 5 years of ttc before I went back and was referred to an infertility clinic in May 2018. It seemed to be months between appts & tests before anything actually happened! I didn't get chlomid for over a year & a half. Unfortunately for us it didn't work and now 7 years of ttc we are now painfully waiting for IVF.

With Covid about it may make the wait to see the specialist even longer. We are still waiting on my hubbys semen analysis as some hospitals aren't doing certain tests because of Covid but that really depends on your area.

Good luck on your ttc journey, hopefully they won't keep you waiting too much longer. This process can be so emotionally painful at times

Xx

[Bambi2626 in reply to LaceyS90]

Oh wow! What a long journey you have been on. I’m sorry to hear that you have had such a rough time with it all.

I live in the North West so I’m not sure if it will be any better up here. I called my local CCG to ask about eligibility for clomid, as advised to by the NHS website. They were very unhelpful and told me that I would need to speak to my GP.

Good luck with the rest of your journey. Hopefully you have some better luck coming your way soon xxx

[TTC0011]

I wasn’t ovulating and my specialist still wouldn’t give me Clomid as my hubby had low count and motility, so they may want to test both of you first before prescribing you anything. It’s very frustrating I found. Good luck with it.

[Bambi2626 in reply to TTC0011]

Thanks for your reply. My hubby has just had a semen analysis done by his GP and everything came back normal. However, all toward the lower end of normal, except his morphology, which was right on the border at only 3%! I have put him on a cocktail of supplements to take to hopefully improve things. Good luck to you too xx