I am 28 years old with a history of irregular ovulation, and my OB/GYN put me on
Clomid, 50 mg, on my last cycle. I ovulated on day 17 and started
spottingVaginal bleeding between periods
very lightly 12 days later, on day 29. The
spottingVaginal bleeding between periods continued (still very
lightly) for 5 days with occasional cramping and nausea. My doctor told me to
take a pregnancy test, which I did on day 31. It was negative, but he said he
thought I was pregnant anyway and wanted me to wait one week and then come in
for a blood test to confirm. After 5 days of
spottingVaginal bleeding between periods, I started cramping
significantly last night, with a lot of back pain and nausea accompanying it.
This morning I began bleeding very heavily (and painfully). This pattern is
extremely unusual for me. In my
firstFirst progesterone mc10
First progesterone mc5
First-progesterone vgs 200
First-progesterone vgs 400 call to the doctor, he told me he thought
I was having a
miscarriage and to stay in bed for awhile to see if the bleeding
got worse. Then he called back to say that I might just be having a "rare
hormonal reaction" to Clomid. He didn't elaborate very well on what this might
be--he just told me to come to the ER if the bleeding got worse.
Dear Lori:
Clomiphene stimulates ovulation and support for the luteal phase (after ovulation portion of the cycle). Although the luteal phase is commonly 14 days in length, it can be 16 or 17 days in length and this causes a short delay before the onset of menstruation. The rare hormonal condition is probably persistence of the corpus luteum (this is the hormone producing area that forms on the ovary at the place where the egg is released). Because it is supposed to turn down hormone production after about 2 weeks, unless there is a pregnancy, one has the unusual situation of delayed menstruation and a negative pregnancy test.
There is no treatment for a persisting corupus luteum: one just waits for it to turn itself off and for the menstrual cycle to resume.
Blood hCG level (blood pregnancy test) is the most sensitive method to know if someone has become pregnant.
If you are in the Detroit area, HFHS has fertility-oriented physicians at our center near Sommerset Mall: 248-637-4050
This material is provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered a formal medical consultation. If you have specific questions, please contact your primary physician.
Is there no way that I can know if I was pregnant or not? I've been trying to
conceive for 6 months, and I'm very frustrated by the lack of information I've received
from this doctor. He says he's an infertility specialist. I don't know whether
to try Clomid again next month or not. Please advise. I had to go off of two brands
of the Pill because I spotted continuously for the last three weeks of each cycle
while I was on them. Could this be related to my possible problem with Clomid?
One of the birth control pills had a name that started with "Mod," and the
other started with a D. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it was several
years ago.
Thanks,
Lori