Clomid Update: The Aftermath

Hi there lovelies.
I wanted to give you a quick update as to the aftermath of taking these dreaded Clomid pills.

So, I told you how after 2+ years of bangin' it out old school, our feeble attempts at baby making led me to gear up for my first clomid cycle.

Then, I started Clomid and told you how I felt during the pill-taking phase.

And now here we are, 3 dpo (days past ovulation, for you non-TTC folks).
So what's been happening?
Well, I'm not happy. Not at all.


I'm happy that I think we timed things well. We did everything we could and I had a hunch that we should start trying sooner. Folks who are scouring the internets looking for "timing sex with Clomid" and all that jazz, let me tell you....those estimates aren't rules to live by.
The articles will tell you that ovulation will happen 5-7 after your last pill.
Well, based on my chart below, it is clear that I ovulated on the 4th day after my last pill, meaning we needed to start trying 2 days after the last pill was consumed.

Here is quick legend to go along with this chart.
The "C" means Clomid, taken days 5-9
I take my temperature with a basal thermometer every morning, starting on Day 7. Doing this will confirm that ovulation happened, not that it is about to happen. This is shown by a spike in temperature of at least .3 degrees (CD13 to CD14)
The day the temp is the lowest before the spike is the day of ovulation. It is confirmed by 3 days of higher temps (CD 14,15 & 16)
Using OPK tests will determine that ovulation is happening. Once a positive OPK has been confirmed, you typically ovulate within 12-48 hours after the first positive.
In my case, I think I ovulated around the night of CD13.
My first + OPK was at 10am CD13 and got stronger that night. By 2pm CD14 it was negative, meaning the surge is over.

BD stands for "baby dancing", which in my opinion, is a ridiculous name, but like I said, it seemed like we should just start and wouldn't you know that I ovulated earlier than anticipated?

The good news is I don't really need to temp anymore, which is great because weekend temping gets tough as you have to wake up at the same time every day. For me that is 5:20am. No thank you.

So the hard part is over right? I just kick up my feet and revel in my timing skillz and wait it out?

I would if it weren't for the lovely post-ovulation side effects. That I didn't realize were a thing.

Let's talk about OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome)

Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome may occur after using injectable hormone medications during in vitro fertilization (IVF), a treatment for infertility. Injectable fertility medications stimulate the development of eggs in the ovaries, but it can be difficult to tell exactly how much medication you might need.

Too much of the hormone in your system can lead to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), where your ovaries become swollen and painful. A small number of women may develop severe OHSS, which can cause rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, vomiting and shortness of breath.

Less often, OHSS happens during fertility treatments using medications you take by mouth, such as clomiphene. Occasionally OHSS occurs spontaneously, not related to fertility treatments.

Mild to moderate OHSS

With mild to moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, symptoms can include:

• Mild to moderate abdominal pain that may come and go
• Abdominal bloating or increased waist size
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Tenderness in the area of your ovaries

That's me....the "less often" category. Luckily, I only had/have the "mild" category symptoms. Anything worse and you should book it to the ER. Signs of severe OHSS include rapid weight gain in a matter of hours (6-10lbs), severe abdominal pain, shortness of breathe, etc. Fluid can leak from your ovaries into your chest and stomach and requires immediate medical attention.

Anyways, back to me. I have been experience abdominal and uterine bloating since the day after ovulation. To the point where it is causing stomach and back cramps. I have felt nauseous or vomited, but it honestly felt, at its worst, like I had kidney stones except they were in the front where my ovaries are.
It made it sort of difficult to move around at its peak.
And then yesterday, I had my first (and hopefully last) migraine.  I had no idea what was going on. There was this weird blinding aura in the middle of my vision, making everything shaky and blurry. This was followed by the worst piercing pain in my head and I couldn't look at lights or computer screens or people.
Did I mention this happened at work? It was awesome.

Now, I just have stomach bloat that makes me feel like I have just finished a large meal. No more sharp pains.  The silver lining to all of this is the pain confirms that ovulation did indeed happen, so I guess there's that.

And now we wait. I wait to see if Clomid lengthened my luteal phase and helped make a baby.
More in the future.

And if you made it through this post, you deserve a treat. Head on back to my last post and try to win a $25 Target gift card!  Contest ends at midnight tonight as a thank you to my July sponsors!!