The Little White Pill

A year ago, I couldn't care less what Clomid is but now, I could recite these facts blindfolded.

▪ It is supposedly the first line drug prescribed for women who don't ovulate regularly.
▪ Doctors usually prescribe 1 tablet of 50mg taken on cycle days 2-6, 3-7, or 5-9. If ovulation does not take place, dosage will then be increased in the next cycles.
▪ The hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, estrogen, GnRH, FSH, and LH are the six crucial elements that have to work together for ovulation to take place. In a nutshell, Clomid interferes with how each of these six work in order to mature and release at least one egg.
▪ Studies suggest that 80% will ovulate and roughly half of that will get pregnant in the first six cycles. Doctors don't recommend further than that as it will do more harm than good.
▪ Rare side effects include, but is not limited to, headaches, tender breasts, mood swings, hot flashes, and dried up mucus.

And after one failed round, here are my facts.
▪ It is the first line drug prescribed when doctors run out of blood tests to run and when it's still too soon to suggest IUI, IVF, ICSI, FET, or any of the other ART acronyms.
▪ I am fortunate enough to be included in the 80%. On my first round I ovulated on day 16, my earliest ovulation since I flushed my pills down the toilet. So far, no luck yet on the roughly half part.
▪ I am on the unfortunate side of the odds when it came to side effects. I have had splitting headaches from Day1, I've cried watching Sex and The City reruns, I've woken up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night (and day), I've winced with excruciating pain when Downied towels graze over my nippies, and I once bit my husband's head off when he was too sleepy to take me to the zoo. Last night after hearing him comment on my crankiness for the nth time (and if you knew my husband, you'd know he's not one to complain), I realized that Clomid must be the culprit. (I'm making it up to him tonight.)

Today is CD6 and, thank heavens, the last day for Clomid.

Here's hoping this round works.