In June, I had a follow-up with my Fertility Specialist and
the head nurse to discuss additional options as it seemed perhaps Clomid was
not the drug for me or whether we should consider a higher dose. After speaking
with them both it was determined I likely needed to switch drugs because it wasn’t
that my body wasn’t responded to the drug because the fortunate thing was it
responded really well it just seemed as though with it I couldn’t fall
pregnant. They discussed that it didn’t appear I needed any other radical
change either like intrauterine insemination or (IUI) or even IVF since I was
responding so well to prescription drugs. They did mention they would switch me
over to Letrozole or as some may be more familiar with its other name Femara.
If Letrozole didn’t prove to be a success after a couple rounds we would then
consider IUI. My doctor explained Letrozole may be a good option for me as its
most common use is to treat cancer, breast cancer specifically in women who has
reached menopause . It is used to help prevent the cancer from returning and
decreases the amount of estrogen the body makes and help slow and reverse the
growth of this cancer. It has been found to be effective for fertility
treatment in women with ovulating problems or for those with unexplained
infertility. This drug is known to suppress estrogen levels in young women
which result in producing an increase in
FSH or follicle stimulating hormone. In women who have ovulating problem like
PCOS the FSH can help develop more
mature follicles in the ovary and ovulation of an egg.
I previously mentioned that taking Clomid is typically
always the doctors first recommended option for women seeking to get pregnant
as long as there are no other problems they are aware of but when this option
fails Letrozole is usually the next best option. It has been found that women
who do not respond to Clomid will have better luck with this medication. In my
case, although I did respond with Clomid meaning I ovulated I never became
pregnant and it was my doctors hope that Letrozole would be the key.
In July, we proceeded with Letrozole using all of the same
steps with Clomid in the previous cycles and once again my body responded well
to this prescription. Unfortunately I did not become pregnant. I wondered if I’d
have the same luck of the draw with this new medication as I had with Clomid but
I still hung on to hope….
August came and we tried again following all of the same
steps using Letrozole and I made it to the day 27 appointment to test whether I
was pregnant. A few hours later I received a call from the clinic and I’ll
never forget the call that changed my life forever. I was pregnant!!!.....
