Why Clomid over 35 may be a bad idea
Updated: Nov 4, 2020
I have been lazy lately…lazy to write, lazy to start the new IVF cycle that would be my last (or so I promise myself) but there’s this Clomid topic coming up so often lately in my Facebook group, and I just have to say something about it.
So what is Clomid? It is a medicine that works as an “anti-estrogen” i.e it tricks your brain into believing your estrogen levels are low. The brain (the pituitary gland, to be precise) then releases more of your natural FSH in order to make your follicles grow.
Clomid was synthetized in 1956 and approved for use in the USA in 1967. Due to it being cheap and easy to use it has been a first line treatment for decades now. It has been considered to be a revolution in the treatment of female infertility and the cornerstone of the assisted medical reproduction treatments.
Sure enough, medicine advanced since the 60s, many other stimulation medicines have been invented and proven efficient, yet somehow Clomid still has this aura of “inoffensive worth a try, fit for a first step” solution.
Lately, less and less reproductive endocrinologists use it, especially if you are over 35, but it is still the med of choice for many OBGYNs.
I was prescribed Clomid at the beginning of my secondary infertility journey. And I was happy. Clomid was gonna make me a baby!
Two cycles and a 2.9 mm thick lining later, it was obvious Clomid was not the Prince Charming I thought it was.
And when I went to see my first RE I understood a few things about Clomid.
It dramatically thins lining in some individuals, and for some of the less lucky, this damage may be permanent.
It may trigger a rapid response in stimulation and by the time your follicle is “grown” your lining is left behind incapable of catching up.
It dries up your cervical mucus making it harder for sperm to swim up your uterus and into your tubes.
It causes cysts that stubbornly refuse to ovulate in spite of trigger administration and this may impact your future cycles.
It has some nasty side effects worth mentioning: hot flashes, headaches, visual problems, mood swings.
Lately, more and more data shows that Clomid might actually be a bad idea for older women. Dr Sher has a very concise and documented article that I suggest you read, if you are over 35 and about to take Clomid. Not only does he recommend the use of Clomid exclusively for younger women with a normal ovarian reserve, capable to override the anti-estrogenic effects of this drug, but he also points out that if used for more than 3 cycles, Clomid starts to act like a … contraceptive, no doubt by thinning the lining and drying out the cervical mucus.
The link is below
www. haveababy.com/fertility-information/ivf-authority/clomiphene-for-women-over-35-bad-idea
There are tons and tons of women out there who swear by Clomid, and will tell you it is the best choice. Surely, had it worked for me on my two months of trying, I would have sworn on it too!
But it has not. And with a 22 mm follicle on cd 8, and a lining of 2.9 at trigger, it could have never worked.
Moreover, even when I stopped Clomid, my lining stayed thin. For 6 whole months it never grew thicker than 6 mm, despite the Vitamin E, the vaginal estrogen, the acupuncture, the warm baths, the femoral massage, the red raspberry tea, the castor oil packs. I was sure I was doomed and I would be one of those who never recover after Clomid.
Actually, as Dr Sher very well explains in another article, Clomid can be very useful and of assistance, if administered to the right persons. Unfortunately for older women with diminished ovarian reserve and/or a tendency of producing cysts, Clomid might work against them.
So what is there to be done if we cannot afford injectables, but still need a boost to ovulate?
For me, injectables were better. In terms of response, obviously, but also better for my lining.
But in between my many IVF cycles, I had to have some breaks. Having become a sort of infertility junkie (as in what hormones should we do this month to improve our chances) I considered one monthly egg was not going to be enough so I might as well try something. And I tried Letrozole, commonly known as Femara. Two nice eggs, plump lining, cervical mucus not so much, but hello Preseed!Bonus:a great estrogen level value at trigger. Basically, Femara got me the same result as some of my high-dose stims, on less money, a bit of headache for a side effect and zero bruises around my navel.
Now could a girl ask for more than that?
I am no doctor and my aim is not to dissuade you from using Clomid, or to convince you of asking your doctors for Femara. Or for anything else, for that matter!
But it has struck me as crazy that there are doctors out there who prescribe Clomid in huge doses, and for much more than 5 days. Doctors that allow their patients to do several back to back cycles with Clomid (one lady in my group was at her 7th!).
Ever since I started this journey, and now that I am continuing it here on the blog, in front of you, my mantra has been “Know your body, educate yourself, do not follow blindly".
And even if at the end of the day you decide together with your doctor that Clomid is the solution for you, at least you would have made this decision knowing your cards, aware of risks, and watching out for bad side effects that might negatively impact your outcome.
After all, we all want one and the same thing: to arrive at the end of this infertility road if not with success, at least with the conviction of having tried everything and having fought to improve our chances.
Although I have to agree success is sweeter. And I wish it for you as I wish it for myself.
Sources:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/gyn.2012.0033