Clomid Side Effects

by Christine

Hi, I have been trying to conceive for 11 months now and my doctor tells me that since I am 27 I should go on Clomid. I am really concerned about taking Clomid because my friend had blurry vision problems and she had to stop taking it. I have also known other women who have gotten pregnant with Clomid really fast and others had no success with Clomid. I know that it may cause hostile mucus, is there a way around this?

I am so confused. Can you help me better understand how Clomid works in the body and how it can help some women and not others.


Answer:

Clomid (Clomiphene ) affects the tissues in the body that have estrogen receptors. This are the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the ovaries, and the endometrium. Its action is to modulate the following hormones: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and estradiol.

Clomid has the ability to trick the endocrine system into believing that estrogen levels are low. This stimulate the hypothalamus to release more GnRH, which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete FSH and LH. The result of this sequence of chemical events is the release of one or more mature eggs at ovulation.

Since not all women are the same, some will tolerate this drug really well and conceive, others will report feeling side effects, which can go from mood swings, hot flashes, breast tenderness, hostile fertile mucous and thinning of the uterine lining. Visual symptoms such as spots, flashes or blurry vision are less common and indicate that treatment is no longer safe.

Enlarged ovaries are also a contraindication since Clomid may in some rare cases cause hyper-stimulation of the ovaries. Also, Clomid should not be taken by anyone who has a liver disease has this drug is metabolized by the liver and if the liver is not working properly, it will cause toxicity.

Experiencing hot flushes after and while taking Clomid is due to the fact that the body thinks that the estrogen levels are low. Low estrogen levels trigger hot flushes typical of perimenopause. When a woman goes through perimenopause, her estrogen levels naturally decrease, this very same symptoms are experienced in some women after taking Clomid. Some women may think that they are going through early menopause and if their hormonal system is not put back into balance they may very well be.

Clomid should be only taken when there is an ovulatory problem and not to treat unexplained infertility. In my opinion, this drug is given too lightly by many physicians and it should not be this way.

Also, it's important to monitor the quality of cervical mucus while taking Clomid as it will dry up this very important aspect of fertility. In fact, if you ovulate, but do not have fertile mucus you will not get pregnant, even while taking Clomid.

To get around this problem, I recommend using pre-seed lubricant, which is the only one that I know to be completely sperm friendly. It is also indicated in women who do not naturally produce enough fertility mucus.


Fertility Blessings!