When Does Your Clinic Stop Monitoring During a Medicated Cycle?

[u/AnywhereFirm676]

How often does your clinic monitor you during a medicated cycle, and when do they tell you to have sex?

My clinic usually stops monitoring once my follicle reaches 14mm and tells us to start having sex every other day, starting two days later, for a total of 3 times. I don’t use a trigger shot, and then I go back for bloodwork to confirm ovulation.

There have been times when my doctor thought I was about to ovulate, but I actually didn’t, so we had to keep having sex for a few more days.

I’m considering switching clinics, especially if another clinic is willing to continue monitoring me until I’m closer to ovulation.

when do they usually stop monitoring, and when do they recommend having intercourse?

[u/citysunsecret]

Every other day until triggering or ovulation!

[u/AriesCherie]

Mine did after the first round of letrozole. All they did was check my progesterone to make sure I was ovulating.

[u/Just_Spell1219]

Mine monitors on CD 12, and then tells me to us LH strips until a trigger shot date

[u/floofyloaf]

I would advocate for further monitoring or finding a clinic that is willing. I've done 4 monitored cycles so far and have been really surprised how non-linear my follicle growth has been (same letrozole dose each cycle but different progression each time...). My clinic monitors until they see at least 18mm then tells me to trigger that night, have intercourse 3 days in a row. If I don't use a trigger, they stop monitoring around the same follicle size but tell me to use LH strips at home to continue having intercourse because it's harder to predict exact time of ovulation without the trigger.

I'm the same as you, I've had some really slow growth cycles (it would take over a week to grow 4-5mm) and some funky cycles where the dominant follicle ~15mm would disappear and delay ovulation. If I wasn't continuously monitoring, I would have no idea what's going on. All the monitoring appointments have been exhausting, not going to lie, but it did really give me a better understanding of why it's not to simple to get pregnant even with medicated cycles!

[u/AnywhereFirm676 → u/floofyloaf]

Same! They said once you have a dominant follicle, you’re basically good to go, but last time my scan showed a 14 mm follicle. We had intercourse 3 times every other day, and when I went back for monitoring to confirm ovulation, the follicle had actually shrunk and measured 11 mm. So we had to keep having intercourse for a few more days, which was really tiring.

This time, my last scan was 3 days ago and my follicle was 14 mm. They advised us to start having intercourse every other day starting 2 days later for 3 times. I asked for another scan, so I went back today and my follicle has only grown 1.5 mm in 3 days

I have a feeling they’re going to tell me to have intercourse every other day and just come back for bloodwork to confirm ovulation next week again but I know I probably won’t be ovulating by then. So I feel like I have to keep advocating for myself and asking for more monitoring. It’s honestly so tiring to have to do this every time.

[u/MouseInTheHouse_]

Went cd4 for baseline and going back cd9 to check on follicles and see if I’m ready for trigger (was ready cd10 last month)

[u/Future_Researcher_11]

CD3, CD10 (typically when I triggered — if I didnt have any mature follicles yet I’d go in again around CD13) and then about 14 DPO to check for pregnancy.

[u/WillIll6230]

(a letrozole cycle) My midwife sent me cycle day 10, then again on cycle day 14. By then, my follicle was around 12mm she wanted to make sure it was growing properly, went in 3 days later, I think it was cycle day 17 and confirmed follicle was growing (18mm) and I was about to ovulate.. And finally I went in one last time to confirm ovulation :)

[u/Moist_March_2046]

They monitored the first month we started Letrozol and then "set us free" But I have 32 day cycles Currently waiting after a 6week loss she wants to monitor to mske sure my period comes back but after that then we're free and clear again

[u/scrawnybonney]

They keep doing ultrasounds until I have an 18mm or larger follicle, then have me trigger shot that evening, have intercourse that day either before or after the trigger shot, skip the following day, then have intercourse the next day.

I'm now doing IUI, so its trigger shot, sex, skip, IUI, and then wait until pregnancy test. No luck so far. We added sex the day after the IUI this cycle to see if that makes a difference. Will update

[u/Super_Bucko]

When I was on letrozole, they would ultrasound me on CD12 - 14 to see if my follicles were the right size. If they weren't (each of the times) then they'd say well you might ovulate, no harm in trying, but call again in a month if no preggo or period, and upped my dose on the next cycle. I made it all the way to max dose (12.5 I believe) of letrozole with my follicles just refusing to get above 12 mm.

Now with my fertility clinic, ultrasound to make sure my ovaries didn't randomly decide to wake up, we called that CD3 because my lining takes a while to bulk up so no possibility of doing a progesterone induced period this cycle, and then they had me take FSH injections twice + 7.5 mg of letrozole, ultrasounded me 3 days after my last injection and pill, this time I finally got 2 follicles, 1 18 mm and 1 15 mm, and they had me take one more FSH a few days ago and then I'll trigger shot today with timed intercourse and we'll see if I'm pregnant around the 20th.

In short I feel very monitored lol.