Clomid or straight to IVF?

[cakeandclueless]

Hi all,

It's my first time posting as we are just getting to the point of starting treatment. I had a lap and dye three weeks ago which showed both tubes are clear and removed some endo. We had our appointment today to discuss next steps.

As well as the endo (some of which is thankfully removed now), I have PCOS and adenomyosis and my husband has reduced motility and morphology. We are both 29. Our CCG has reinstated one round of IVF and we do meet the criteria for referral. However our nurse suggests six months of clomid first although she said she would refer us for IVF at this point if we preferred.

I don't know how we're meant to decide what to do now. I just don't know how much more waiting and getting hopes up I can go through. I'm aware that IVF is a huge process but I'm dreading the idea of spending the next 6+ months taking clomid and worrying each month it won't be successful anyway because of all the factors we have between us. I find it so hard to know if that's the recommendation because it's the best thing for us, or because it's the cheapest option for the NHS.

Even more frustrating, for some reason because my period turned up a few days ago and I had the lap and dye earlier this month, they want to check ovulation again before starting clomid. So we wouldn't even start until late November.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice on deciding which treatment to have and how to cope with all the waiting please?

[Millbanks]

Hi lovely, it's a tricky one. Have you ever used ovulation home kits or do you know if you ovulate? When we had our first appointment with the NHS fertility clinic they started me on 3 months of clomid before anything else - I told them that I knew I ovulated as I had done basal body temp charting, and was using ovulation kits, but they said to try it anyway. So I do think they often go for that first regardless as it's cheaper (as you say). I wasn't too fussed as I really didn't want to do IVF, but it turned out that AFTER that they did the HSG exam which showed I had both tubes blocked so a total waste of time for me.

We then had to wait another 6 months before starting IVF - so I think if you do ovulate, I wouldn't bother with clomid.

Also, it's a pretty horrid drug - I felt the worst I felt throughout all of my treatment when on clomid - hugely emotional and very up and down.

Sorry I don't want to put you off if you do decide to go down that route - it's not the same for everyone, and it does help some people conceive naturally.

xx

[cakeandclueless in reply to Millbanks]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I don't ovulate but the nurse wants to check again in case the lap and dye has somehow encouraged it I think! I guess clomid makes more sense in my case as I don't ovulate and tubes are clear - that must have been really frustrating to find out about your tubes after taking it. I am worried about the side effects though… it’s tricky like you say but I think clomid maybe feels less daunting than IVF right now. x

[Millbanks in reply to cakeandclueless]

You're welcome! In that case it sounds like a good idea to try it first. It's much easier taking a few tablets - even if they do make you feel emosh! A friend of mine did have success after taking clomid - and often the lap and dye does clear out the tubes. Fingers crossed! IVF isn't as bad as people think before they start - I was so worried about it and as soon as we got going I was surprised at how quickly it goes, in total for one cycle only really 5 weeks (and only 11 days of that are injections).

xx

[AmyK227]

Hello, it’s also my first time posting/responding as I’m at a similar stage to you, though I have already completed 3 rounds of clomid. I had an appointment yesterday where my consultant offered me the option of a further 3 months of clomid but also wants to refer us for IVF at the same time. So, we are going to be applying for the NHS funding in the next couple of weeks and were told the funding decision typically takes a couple of weeks, then all being well we will be added to the waiting list and current wait times are around 3 months. This means we can focus on taking our next 3 months of clomid and once that’s finished, if we’ve still had no success we will be near the top of the IVF list. Could you suggest this to your doctor and basically do both simultaneously?! Hope this helps x

[cakeandclueless in reply to AmyK227]

Hello and thanks for the response ☺️ That sounds like a sensible plan, I'll ask my nurse about the possibility of doing something similar when I next speak to her. NHS funding for IVF has only just been reinstated where we are so she wasn't sure how long the wait would be, but I imagine there will be a fair few people applying at the minute who have been waiting for the funding, so it could be good to get on the list perhaps after 3 cycles of clomid if not successful. I guess at that point we'll know how well I'm responding to it too. Thank you for the suggestion and good luck with your next 3 cycles and funding application x