Your Experience with Letrozole (Femara)?

1. What has been your experience with letrozole?  
2. My doctor has me taking 2 pills, or 5 mg from Day 3 to Day 7, because of my anovulatory periods.  What has your doctor prescribed?
3. I used to have 9 to 16 days of bleeding before letrozole!  After being on letrozole, how many days are you bleeding?

This is my second time with Letrozole and I had 9 days of bleeding the first time.
By Day 5 I'm ready to quit letrozole because it makes my bones a bit achy, my breasts are super tender and less firm, and overall I feel like I constantly have a buzz that you get with one glass of wine.

This time I had the following experience:
Day 28 Wednesday 2/17 Mid day brown/pinkish bleeding (pre-menstrual)
Day 1 Thurs 2/18 neg preg test, good medium flow
Day 2 Friday 2/19 a bit heavier medium flow
Day 3 Saturday 2/20 started 2 pills (5mg) of letrozole, Very heavy (unusually) flow with small fleshy (1/2 long) tissue in the evening (ewwww :/)
Day 4 Sunday 2/21 5 mg letrozole heavy but more normal flow
Day 5 Monday 2/22 5 mg letrozole light bleeding
Day 6 Tuesday 2/23 5 mg letrozole very light bleeding almost gone
Day 7?  we shall see

  One more day of letrozole left.

What has been your experience?

[NellyS]

Hi, I am also on the same dosage of Letrozole from D3 to D7. I wanted to know, is it always effective to take this medicine . I also suffer from PCOS. I am on second cycle now and had my MC on CD27 with pre-menstrual  discharge on CD26. It lasted for 4days only , so how do i get to know if I actually ovulated or not ?
I used OPKs on CD 10 and CD11 both in the evenings but got very faint line so cant even depend on that to know what happening in my body?
Is there anyone else who has similar issues ?

[tbkw]

My doctor said to test with an OPK with the first urine of the day with clear blue easy because that's the only opk that allows you to test in the morning.  Doc says to test fromday 12 to day 14 but I had tested as soon as I stopped menstruating and tested till I got a positive LH surge. The 1st cycle of letrozole I surged on day 16 and the second I surged on day 13.  It take a couple of cycles for it to regulate yourself.  I also track my BBT and I had a drop of 1.1* on day 12. Which also indicates that I should ovulate.  Since I haven't gotten PG yet I am having a sonogram to check my folicle size on Day 12.  I'm on my 3rd round of letrozole, and I hope I get PG soon because its $120 each try.

[tbkw]

You might be getting a faint line but you should read the directions inside the box carefully they usually address commonly asked questions.  I was using another brand would get a faint line but I tested till the line was darker.  I would by two opk tests and keep testing from the day you stop mensing till you get a clealry positive LH surge, and if it takes more than 7 tests that's what I did.  That's how I found out I wasn't ovulating and I got on letrozole to help.

[Hopefulcb]

I just started on this medication last night, 2.5 mg      for 5 days but I'm overlaping this with Gonal F injections.  They are monitoring me on day 9 with US until follicles big enough then I'm getting a Ovidrel injection to release them followed by IUI x 2.  I haven't noticed anything diffrerent yet although my last period was very beVy ( but pre medication since I only started last nigh - day 3)

So I won't be doing OPKs because of the monitoring but I used to use them all the time .  The clearblue in the AM was my favorite!

Good luck !

[tbkw]

That seems like a very aggressive treatment schedule.  What were you trying before?

[Hopefulcb]

Nothing.  This is the first cycle.  I think it's because Im 39 and the Dr wants to give us the best chance possible (and We have unexplained infertility)

[hoping4mybaby]

Has your doc given you Letrozole for ovulation?
I was on clomophine citrate for one cycle, but I sort of over simulated. Then I was put on letrozole from D3-D5 one tab a day. But I ovulated early in the cycle, so next cycle it was changed to two tabs a day starting D5.
I did not find any problem with Letrozole other than severe hair fall!

[Hopefulcb]

Really? Hair loss? They never mentionned that as a side effect!!!  How bad was it and was it after one cycle only? (5 days)?  The only thing I've found so far is that Im tired and have had a nagging mild headache since I started but it's pretty mild non bothersome symptoms.

For me it was for superovulation as I already ovulate.  Plus close monitoring with U/S

[tbkw]

What is an IUIx2 and what is a beVy period?  My last period was very very bloody but this time its pretty normal.  I'm on Day 7 of my period and it is almost gone and took my last 2 pills (5mg) of letrozole. When I'm on it I feel a little dumb and have a hard time with recalling names.  No noticablr hair loss either.  I did headaches on the first round.  I am also hypothyroid and take about 37.5mcg of synthroid but I've lost a bit of weight and I felt really off yesterday exhausted like I had been drugged into submission. So today I only took 25mcg.  My DH and I have been sort of good about the every other day thing but this round I am determined to have IC every other day and more so on a + LH surge.

[tbkw]

The reason why I asked about your treatment is because I my doctors are disregarding my break through bleeding after I ovulate as something insignificant.  My theory is that because I was on bc for 8 years, even though I stopped 4 years ago, I have not been able to ovulate and my lining might be insufficient to have an egg implant into it, so I would like to be put on progesterone 3 days after I ovulate to ensure a good healthy lining.  I have kaiser doctors and I just don't think they care.  Its like the walmart of medicine. My friend is a researcher and there is so little that we know about the permanant damage bc can do.  If bc prevents pregnancy by not allowing you to ovulate and effecting your lining so that it is hard for impantation don't you think progesterone will help, especially since I can't ovulate anymore probably due to the bc?  If it doesn't hurt why don't the try it?  They said the next step is insemination if I have a fully functional husband who has had a satisfactory semen analysis done, how is insemination supposed to help??   I'm going in for an US on Sunday and I might ask about it again.

[tbkw]

Yes, my doctor gave me the choice of letrozole or clomid.  I chose letrozole because I didn't want the mood swings or the thinning of the lining.  It seems to have helped.  1st round I got an LH surge on Day 16 with 8 days of bleeding, 2nd round a 28 day cycle with 6 days of bleeding but the bleeding was copious and abnormally large amounts of blood and tissue like excretions with an LH surge on Day 13.   ( I got a violent stomach virus around Day 16 so I'm sure that helped us not conceive)   I also felt the ovulation on my left side.    This third round I started my period after 28 days of the previous cycle and its Day 7 and I think I'm about to stop my period tomorrow (its very light) and I feel some activity on my right ovary area.   I'm determined to try with dedication by having IC every other day from today till I get my LH surge and then every day after that.  The last two cycles life seems to have gotten in the way of trying more on a scheduled basis.  This is my last free treatment cycle of Femara. :(

[tbkw]

Just so you ladies know there is a 30-day free trial for Femara on the Novartis website.  http://www.femara.com/thank-you6-femara-cares.jsp  My doctor signed it and I got 3 months of fertility treatment for free!  Unfortunately I'm on my last month, keep your fingers crossed.  

[Hopefulcb]

Sorry that was supposed to be "heavy" period (typing hard sometimes on my I phone).  IUI is the insemination

I was also on the pill for many many years but it didn't affect me as I sratrted ovulating a few months after I stopped it.  I think IUI helps because they spin the semen sample and take only the best sperm and then inject it directlty so it doesn't have to go past the cervical mucous (there were no issues with my husband either).

Part of my treatment also includes prosgesterone after the last IUI .  I guess since the infertility is unexplained they try to hit everything !

Keep us posted!!

[Troublekees]

2 things-
First- just curious if anyone had spurts of depression that they attribute to taking Femara?
I'm on my second cycle of 2.5 mg day 3-7 and found with both cycles that just after I was finished taking it, through for about a week I'm just SOO low and want to do nothing at all. Everything bothers me and I just want to go and be alone.  
I'm not sure if it is the drug or my body still getting back into balance after having had surgery in the summer for large Fibroids.
Second- I seem to be getting some severe itching on about day 9 from the start of my cycle. Last time I treated with just a topical VERY light steroid, but curious if this is a side effect as well others have had?
I'm 33 and on have been trying via at home AI's for a total of 1.5 years. I appear to ovulate on my own, LH surge occurs approx day 15, and temp rises day 17. I'm almost textbook for this every month.
I'm on my 3rd trying post surgery, 2nd with Femara now.

Thank you

[tbkw]

I was treated with Femara after the doctor's determined that I did not ovulate on my own.  I ended up with severe moodswings and hot flashes on this drug.

I don't recall any itching per say, but I would ask your doctor to see if you could try Clomid instead just to see how you react to it.   Or if you can take no medication at all.   I think Femara is some pretty strong stuff, and my body did not react well to it.

I switched to clomid, had no mood swings at all (even though they warned me that I would) and I was less stressed out and I think the stress was keeping me from getting pregnant.  I got pregnant in 4 cycles.  Of course, once I got on Clomid I had "stopped trying" by the third cycle on Clomid.  No OPK, no IUI, just the medication and a vacation with my husband.  I would take a vacation with your partner and try to let things go.  Physically you may be ovulating but mentally your body may be saying "now is not a good time" because of the anxiety.  You can't be told to let go, you just have to come to it on your own.  People kept telling me to relax, and finally I just got tired of worrying and gave up.  As soon as I did the pregnancy test was positive.  I'm in my 6 month of pregnancy now.  

[kristi99us]

I have taken it 3 times now and this time we had a 11cm folicle so I go monday for another ultrasound. We are hoping that it has grown and tha tI ovulate this time. We have tried for 3 months are are really hoping for a baby soon. Has anyone else had this experience, please let me know.
Thanks

[Mwilder51207]

My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 5yrs without success. We finally went to the Dr and she put me on femara. Last month I took 5mg for five days that resulted in one 15cm follicle, we also done the trigger shot as the Dr told us. We didn't get pregnant that round. Now she has upped me to 7.5mg for cycle days 3-12. I was just wondering if anyone else has taken femara like this and been successful in getting pregnant?

[zanelee]

congratulations!I just started my treatment with letrozole i hope things will work out.