A few years ago I was visiting another hospital. When touring the OBGYN department, I ran across a very busy obstetrician in the middle of office hours. He was running form room to room and had a pile of charts in his hands. After her appointment, one of his patients cornered him in the waiting area and softly said, “by the way, I have not been able to get pregnant again.” Automatically, he pulled out his prescription pad scribbled a years supply of Clomid, saying, “Let me know if nothing happens in a year.” Seeing me at the last second, he said, “Actually, make it 6 months”
Needless to say I was not happy with either of his recommendations.
Giving a patient a prescription for 6 months of Clomid may be giving that woman’s fertility a death sentence.
If a woman is 39 and not getting pregnant, and she takes 6 months of Clomid, she will probably turn 40 before she starts her work-up. By the time she makes her appointment, sees the doctor, and gets her workup, it’s 6 months, maybe longer, and now it’s all too late.
It’s ok to use Clomid. I limit it to about 3 months, and there should be some workup first. I occasionally use 6 months of Clomid, but only in the case where the woman doesn’t ovulate without it. I skip Clomid in older women.
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