Clomid/Femara only for swaying

Hi atomic and everyone else,

I thought I had read some time ago that it is not recommended to take clomid/femara only for swaying. But during the last weeks I read several times that we should try to get it regardless. What would you advise in my situation?

DH and me will be 36 when ttc, no bigger health issues, conceived DS1 and 2 within 4 month resp. first month ttc. I will do the diet, one attempt, not sure yet about excercising, coffee, fibre, some alcohol.

If I tell my doctor we've been trying for several months now and ask him directly, he might give it to me.

I read that in our age femara would be first choice, is that correct? Is it really 100% proven that it is save for baby and mother to take it?

TIA for answering :-)

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Dear SoFullofHope,

thank you for your answer! I also read about the malformations. But I thought maybe atomic has more recent information on this and perhaps those studies have been proven wrong in the mean time. The numbers I read weren't that clearly showing that the risk for malformations is increased.

If I was in your place, I would have taken it as well. If I remember correctly, your situation is also a bit complicated so that you might not be able to get as many attempts as you would like? I'd also do everything then to increase odds of conception. Will you know soon if your cycle was successful?

I wish you all the best! :-)

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I would get it regardless. At the start of the site, Clomid swaying pink was basically my personal pet theory (thus I'd not suggest anyone taking it without need) but now it's gone on for so long and gotten such great results for us and with very few risks and side effects that I am completely sold on it and now recommend it for anyone who can get it from a doctor.

Both Clomid and Femara are extremely safe when taken as directed (not during pregnancy). It is very simple - just take a pregnancy test the day you're due to start the medication even if you are 110% sure you are not pregnant. You can be pregnant even with a totally normal period.

Femara is great for moms over 35 BUT at 36 you can still safely take Clomid.

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Originally Posted by SoFullofHope

Dear Verena,

I'm not entirely sure if this is correct but when I researched it, there was a risk of malformations for the baby in both cases, with chances of it happening being higher with Femara.

I thought hard about it but in the end, I took it anyway but not for swaying but because I'll be 40 next year and my values are really bad, so I'm just dying to give my baby a sibling, regardless of gender and I feel I don't have much of a chance without it.
If I didn't need it, however, I wouldn't have taken it!

However, that's just my personal opinion.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you yet if it works - neither when it comes to getting pregnant nor when it comes to swaying as this was the first cycle I took it.

Good luck to you in any case, no matter how you decide!

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Both Clomid and Femara are extremely safe drugs. Femara when taken for FERTILITY and not during pregnancy is safe, and if anything may even be safer than Clomid. The risk comes from taking these medications DURING pregnancy and this is very easily avoided by taking a pregnancy test the day you are due to start the medication.

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Originally Posted by Verena

Dear SoFullofHope,

thank you for your answer! I also read about the malformations. But I thought maybe atomic has more recent information on this and perhaps those studies have been proven wrong in the mean time. The numbers I read weren't that clearly showing that the risk for malformations is increased.

If I was in your place, I would have taken it as well. If I remember correctly, your situation is also a bit complicated so that you might not be able to get as many attempts as you would like? I'd also do everything then to increase odds of conception. Will you know soon if your cycle was successful?

I wish you all the best! :-)

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They have been proven wrong. And what is more than that, the exact groups of women who are the most likely to need fertility medicine, are also more likely to suffer miscarriages and have babies with health issues to begin with - age, obesity/diabetes, PCOS, anorexics.

These medications have been around for decades. Millions of babies have been conceived on them. Women who were conceived on them are now on this site having babies themselves! If they were causing birth defects we would know it by now.

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Originally Posted by SoFullofHope

Oh, and Clomid thins the uterine lining, thus making it more difficult for the embryo to implant :-(

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A relatively rare side effect that is easily remedied and takes months to develop.

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

I would get it regardless. At the start of the site, Clomid swaying pink was basically my personal pet theory (thus I'd not suggest anyone taking it without need) but now it's gone on for so long and gotten such great results for us and with very few risks and side effects that I am completely sold on it and now recommend it for anyone who can get it from a doctor.

Both Clomid and Femara are extremely safe when taken as directed (not during pregnancy). It is very simple - just take a pregnancy test the day you're due to start the medication even if you are 110% sure you are not pregnant. You can be pregnant even with a totally normal period.

Femara is great for moms over 35 BUT at 36 you can still safely take Clomid.

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Thank you so much atomic for answering. Wow, that is a clear statement. Fortunately I still have some time before our first attempt in January to think this over as I would have to do it secretly without DH knowing. He would never approve, diet and stuff are already too much manipulation for him, but taking medication would be a whole new dimension...

Do you know if Femara or Clomid has a stronger influence on the sex ratio according to literature? What is your personal experience on this site? Which one would you try to get if you were in my place?

Thanks again for sharing all your knowledge!!



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Keep in mind, in that case, that if something were to go wrong (such as a loss, G-- forbid, or a side effect - we have only ever had mild ones, or an allergic reaction - never had one happen but they are possible) and you're in the ER with him, they're going to ask you what medication you were on if any and then that puts you in a heck of an awkward position.

Femara did seem better in one study, but studies are funny things in that sometimes one will say one thing, and another study will say the opposite. There are more studies that support Clomid on its own, and only the one in which it was compared to Femara.

I believe Femara is better, although it can be harder to come by as not all docs are willing to prescribe it.

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Originally Posted by SoFullofHope

Dear Verena,

I just looked it up again and, contrary to what I wrote, the risk of malformations seems to be greater with Clomid. A study from April(?) 2016 found malformations in 2.4% of babies conceived with Femara and 4.8% of babies conceived with Clomid! I had asked both my local gynaecologist and Clinic C about the malformation risk when taking Femara and they both confirmed that it is indeed true.
However, what you probably have to take into account as well is that it's mainly older women and women with fertility problems who take these drugs. With us, the risk of malformations is higher anyway, so some of it might simply be due to our age and the bad egg quality, not necessarily always due to Femara or Clomid.

Yeah, stupidly, we're in a rather complicated situation and can only get one attempt (two max.) per cycle in :-(
At least I can tell you in the meantime that, for me, it didn't work this cycle: I had three follicles but despite two attempts before and on the day of ovulation, not one of these eggs got fertilised :'-( (or if they did, they didn't implant).
The hormones did mess with my cycle though. Injecting them was fine (DH gladly did so) and except for an upset stomach the first time I took Menopur and me being rather emotional while taking them, that was the easy bit. But I'm not sure at all if I really ovulated when they predicted it or rather one day earlier or later (as I did feel it twice, just not in the window predicted by the doctors), and then I got my period late and my hopes up, but I got a BFN yesterday and AF arrived this afternoon :'-(
As I've also got a yeast infection which I think is also due to all the hormones I took, I think I'll give it a break this month (also in order to take some ubiquinol, hoping it'll improve my egg quality) but if I continue next month or the month after and it works after all, I'll let you know :-)

Really good luck to you too!!

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Dear SoFullofHope,

I'm sorry your first round taking Clomid didn't work and that you got a yeast infection on top :-/ Maybe you could try this cycle just without Clomid? I think I would be too much afraid of missing THE month for making a break... But I tend to approach things from the pessimistic side ;-) I wish you all the best no matter how you decide! At least you don't have to worry about malformations anymore thanks to atomic's answer. Please let me know how it's going on with you.

Verena

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

Keep in mind, in that case, that if something were to go wrong (such as a loss, G-- forbid, or a side effect - we have only ever had mild ones, or an allergic reaction - never had one happen but they are possible) and you're in the ER with him, they're going to ask you what medication you were on if any and then that puts you in a heck of an awkward position.

Femara did seem better in one study, but studies are funny things in that sometimes one will say one thing, and another study will say the opposite. There are more studies that support Clomid on its own, and only the one in which it was compared to Femara.

I believe Femara is better, although it can be harder to come by as not all docs are willing to prescribe it.

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Heck, you are right. Didn't think about that. Then I might try to discuss it with him. There's also the small chance for multiples and I would feel really bad if we end up having twins and I didn't inform him. That would really feel like cheating...

My doc is quite open and in the past he always prescribed everything I asked him for. So if I decide (together with DH ;-)) to go for it, I'll ask him for Femara first.

Thank you again, atomic!!

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

Keep in mind, in that case, that if something were to go wrong (such as a loss, G-- forbid, or a side effect - we have only ever had mild ones, or an allergic reaction - never had one happen but they are possible) and you're in the ER with him, they're going to ask you what medication you were on if any and then that puts you in a heck of an awkward position.

Femara did seem better in one study, but studies are funny things in that sometimes one will say one thing, and another study will say the opposite. There are more studies that support Clomid on its own, and only the one in which it was compared to Femara.

I believe Femara is better, although it can be harder to come by as not all docs are willing to prescribe it.

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Hi atomic,

I tried to find that study comparing femara and clomid concerning sex ratio but I couldn't find it. Do you have it and could share it with me? Or did you mean in your answer that femara is the better option in general, not only for swaying?

Thank you :-)

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It is the better option in general. Better for fertility, fewer side effects, less chance of multiples.

Do you really need to see all the studies, or can you take my word that I have seen and read the studies? It is really time consuming to look up studies for you guys and I've kind of decided not to do it any more. I have no motivation in promoting one medication over the other, I don't own stock in Femara or anything, LOL.

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

It is the better option in general. Better for fertility, fewer side effects, less chance of multiples.

Do you really need to see all the studies, or can you take my word that I have seen and read the studies? It is really time consuming to look up studies for you guys and I've kind of decided not to do it any more. I have no motivation in promoting one medication over the other, I don't own stock in Femara or anything, LOL.

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You don't have to look the study up, no problem. I thought maybe it's saved in some forum here and I just didn't find it. I also thought there are some conrete numbers about the sex ratio after using clomid and femara, but if I understand you correctly, it's just a general comparison.

I guess I'm just slightly nervous asking my doc for femara, because clomid is incorporated in the girl sway statistics, but femara isn't. But I'll try to believe you without seeing numbers with my own eyes ;-)

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It is, that's the dumb thing!! It is on here somewhere but I have sooooo many posts that it's really hard for me to find anything I posted (because I have to scroll through tons of other posts) and then when I Google things, it's all so vague that again, I have to look and look and look because there are so many studies done that the one I want gets lost in the shuffle. It takes me tons of time.

The Femara study is just one study. There are more studies that show Clomid sways pink, and only the one on Femara. Femara is only just coming into popularity so as more use it, we'll have more info to go on. :)

I'd imagine as Femara lowers estrogen, that is where it could theoretically sway pink?

I'm mostly popping in because my RE suggested it and I want a boy and did some research on it.

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Originally Posted by Throwaway_panther

I'd imagine as Femara lowers estrogen, that is where it could theoretically sway pink?

I'm mostly popping in because my RE suggested it and I want a boy and did some research on it.

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That's what I would think, but the thing is that Femara lowers estrogen less where it counts Letrozole For Ovulation Assistance, Alternatives To Clomid and we had originally expected it would be more blue friendly than Clomid. That it isn't, makes me question how any of it works and we honestly don't know at all so when in doubt I like you guys to do what seems to work, and not what theories say should work, since all our theories, even mine, are based on a pittance of info sadly.