Clomid, also called clomiphene citrate, refers to a fertility drug used to induce ovulation in women to increase their chances of getting pregnant.
It is an oral medication used to treat anovulation in women with infertility problems.
Clomid works by stimulating the pituitary gland to produce follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) and luteinizing hormones (LH).
A higher level of these fertility hormones signals the ovary to produce egg follicles usually released during ovulation.
If Clomid’s treatment is successful and there is sexual intercourse during ovulation, fertilization will occur.
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Who can take Clomid therapy?
- Those with pregnancy difficulties
- Those with a healthy liver
- Those without ovarian cysts. Patients with ovarian cysts should not receive Clomid therapy unless they have polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Those without a strange vaginal discharge.
What to consider before taking clomiphene citrate
Your doctor will examine you to check
- The level of estrogen hormones in your body. Estrogen is a female sex hormone that helps in the development of sexual and reproductive features in women.
The estrogen level needs to be high to boost your chances of becoming pregnant.
- Endometriosis. This is a uterus problem that arises when the tissues that are supposed to grow on the uterus wall grow in another place.
They may grow in the bowels, ovaries and rarely in other parts of the body. This can cause infertility, heavy periods and menstrual pain.
- Premature ovarian failure. This is when a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs earlier before she reaches menopause.
- Fibroids. Care should be taken when using Clomid on patients with uterine fibroids because it may cause more harm.
- Hormonal imbalance.
How to use Clomid
Clomid dosage for fresh patients usually starts with a low dose of 50 mg per day for 5 consecutive days.
The dose may increase to 100 mg per day if the patient does not respond to the initial treatment. However, a proper test should be done before proceeding to 100 mg per day.
This is to make sure the patient is not pregnant already or has any allergic reactions.
Any further treatment with Clomiphene if the second cycle does not lead to pregnancy is not always recommended.
Your doctor will be in the right position to direct you on how to use the fertility drug effectively.
Clomiphene side effects
About one in every ten patients on Clomid therapy experience Clomid’s side effects.
The effects resemble the symptoms you experience during menstruation.
However, your doctor will direct you on how to use the fertility drug effectively to reduce the side effects.
The side effects may include:
- Strange vaginal bleeding
- Bloating
- Headache
- Hot flashes in the body
- Stomach pain
- Swell up
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Soft breasts
- Gastrointestinal problems.
- Blurred vision
- Ovarian hyperstimulation (1)
What are the Clomid ovulation symptoms
Clomid ovulation symptoms are not far different from normal ovulation symptoms. The symptoms include:
- Stomach upset and pain
- Cloudy cervical mucus around the cervix
- Dilated cervix
- Rise in temperature
- Restlessness.
How do you take Clomid to conceive twins?
Every woman’s ovaries contain thousands of follicles, filled with immature eggs.
Under normal conditions, a mature egg is released from the fallopian tube to the uterus for fertilization once every month. Clomid stimulates the follicles causing the ripeness and release of multiple eggs during ovulation. This may increase the chances of conceiving twins if the eggs are fertilized.
Clomid success rate
This measures how effective Clomid therapy is for infertility. For ovulation related issues, the Clomid success rate is impressive.
According to a clinical study to test the success rate of clomiphene over other fertility drugs such as tamoxifen and letrozole, 150 women with anovulatory and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) were grouped into three.
Group 1 received clomiphene citrate 50 mg to 150 mg for 5 days, group 2 received 10 to 30 mg of tamoxifen for the same 5 days, group 3 received 2.5 to 7.5 mg of letrozole for 5 days.
The study kept records of mature follicles, endometrial thickness, multiple pregnancies, pregnancy rates, live birth, and miscarriage.
Results showed that clomiphene remained the first-line therapy for treating infertility, with the highest ovulation rate of 39/50 (78%), followed by group 3 with 37/50 (74%), and group 2 with 24/50 (68%).
Pregnancy rates in group 1, 2, & 3 respectively were 32 (64%), 20 (40%), and 25 (50%).
The live birth rate was 22 (44%) in group 1, 17 (34%) in 2 and 21 (42%) in group 3.
The miscarriage rate at Clomid was 10 (20%), 3 (6%) in tamoxifen and 4 (8%) in letrozole.
They recorded twin pregnancies with clomiphene and tamoxifen, while none were recorded with letrozole. (2)
Other studies on clomiphene success rates also showed similar results.
Clomiphene citrate for male infertility
Using Clomiphene for male infertility has yielded controversial results, and although many people report improved fertility after use, clinical studies say the opposite.
In one study to determine the fertility status of Clomid in 23 oligospermia men, 25 mg/day of clomiphene was administered to patients for 12 months.
During the treatment, the Clomid treated group recorded higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), serum testosterone, and estradiol, than the placebo or control group
However, the pregnancy rate was insignificant when compared with the control group. (4)
Other studies have also reported the same, suggesting Vitamin C has a better effect than clomiphene for male infertility treatment. (5)
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