Clomid for Ovulation Induction
Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) is a fertility drug used for the treatment of ovulatory disorders (problems with ovulation). Clomid may be used to treat women with complete failure to ovulate, in conjunction with intrauterine insemination, or for the treatment of luteal phase defect. Clomid acts by causing the pituitary gland to produce a higher level of the hormones (FSH and LH) that control ovulation.
Occasionally, women taking Clomid have side effects. Common side effects include: headache, abdominal fullness or bloating, hot flashes, night sweats, blurred vision. These side effects are usually temporary and are mild. There are several case reports of persistent blurred vision after clomiphene treatment. Occasionally Clomid causes moodiness or even mild depression. Clomid may delay ovulation by 1-3 days – relative to your usual cycle.
There are two recognized risks of Clomid treatment: multiple pregnancy and ovarian cyst formation. Approximately 8% of Clomid conceptions are multiple, the vast majority of these multiple pregnancy are twins and only in a very small percentage are triplets or higher order multiple pregnancies. This may occur even on the lowest dose of clomiphene. Approximately 10% of women who are treated with clomiphene will develop an ovarian cyst. For this reason, a pelvic ultrasound is performed at the end of each treatment cycle – around the time of your menstrual period. If an ovarian cyst is detected, clomiphene treatment is withheld during the following cycle. The ovarian cyst usually resolves without further treatment.
Clomid has been in clinical use for over 30 years. There is a large amount of data that suggests that babies born as a product of clomiphene treatment have a normal risk of congenital anomalies – not higher and not lower. Clomid is widely used and accepted as a safe drug in this regard.