The hunt for my elusive right ovary - Clomiphene Cycle # 4 - June 14

Got my period on my DH's birthday! How romantic xx we went to a movie so got to sit and rest for two hours which was great. I seem to take a while to come on, im getting alot of what they call old blood, then one day of heavy bleeding, then tapers off. Clomiphene started 20.06.14. No side effects again this month, the odd hot flush but really bitchy again haha.

Day 10 bloods arrive, levels look good! Will post results at a later date. Waited for phonecall re ultrasound, tuens out its going to be Saturday if they can fit me in. Didnt hear from them in the morning so went out, helped Mum and my brother take my little nephew shopping for his 3rd birthday, exhausted after chasing him around Farmers off we went to Mcdonalds. After losing him in the playgroubd i grabbed him before he coukd run back in and my cell rang. Holding his jumper with one hand and cell in other i only just managed to answer it. "Hello is this Trudi... Can you come into Womens for a scan asap as i can fit you inbetween acute cases". Heh! Great timing, let Mum with the boy and raced out of the mall and up to hospital. Turns out radiology is closed on a Saturday to the public so i had to ring through to let in. I hung in a dimly lit room on my own for a bit until Jo could scan me.

No dominant follicles on my left ovary this month. Thats strange..? Well it must be my right! The ovaries alternate per month and if you count it back the last time would have been April, our month off.

So the hunt for my right ovary commenced. A previous MRI had seen it, so had a previous Ultrasound. We tried everywhere internally and externally. During the internal i saw a puzzled look on 

Jos face. My TV screen was off that day so couldnt see what was going on. She then mentioned shed found a tubular structure filled with fluid. My right fallopian tube?! Could it be? So she followed it along, still no sign. She stopped there and said she was sure the specialist will want to know about what she'd found. The radiogist called me later that night and said not sure who to tell but no follicles to mention. I said no worries ill follow up Monday. So rang nurse, she suggested another blood test see where levels at incase im running late.  Dashed up to lab at hospital gave blood and went back to work. Cell rang in the morning, they can scan me at 1.30pm today. Levels must be still up?

So, todays scan was with Penny. Turns out its the same Penny my sister had in Fetal Medicine. Shes lovely and funny. I apparently have a nice cervix and my anatomy is great to photograph. I start with my usual "Do my notes say I have UU and one kidney and a missing right ovary? She looked at me and said i thought we were only doing ovulation induction scan? I explained my dud follicles on left so must be right and we just have to find it. She was determined, as was the previous radiologist Rex, but i had faith in her that shed find it.

Neither of us were prepared for what happened next... this will need a whole separate post... 

TTC - Clomiphene Cycle #3 - May 14

Tuesday 20.05.14 (CD3) started my next Clomiphene cycle which the hospital decided to keep at 25mg per day based on the good results I had last cycle. No sense in putting it up unnecessarily as it will put me at a greater risk of hyper-ovulation.

No physical side effects that I could see this month apart from the odd spike in temp but most definitely mood swings! My goodness, did help that there was a little bit of tension in our household trying to find our house-guest alternative accommodation. I was a real bitch! There were many apologies for this as no one wanted to be around me really.

Day 10 bloods came in ok for the follicular part of my cycle, levels look good so was booked in for an ultrasound.

28.05.14 - US @ Christchurch Womens Radiology - this time I had a lovely medical student doing my scan, she said she would be supervised so had no problem with that. I told them both before we began that I had a UU and again this was not mentioned anywhere so was told to always mention that at the beginning, save everyone a lot of time.

This time we got some really great scans. Ive called the hospital to get these saved to disc so I can post a few for you all.


I had 17 follicles this time! wow, 7 more than last month. Only once single dominant follicle again, this time measuring 15mm x 17mm x 12mm. My endometrium thickness was the same as last time at 7mm, and the search began for my right ovary, this turned into a bit of a wild goose chase, they looked everywhere, both having a go, trying to push my bowels out of the way. We gave up in the end, so the radiologist had a look back at my MRI from Sept 13 and thinks that I may have a tiny right ovary deep to the caecum in the right iliac fossa. Long story short right under my bowels where you appendix would normally sit.

Nurse called late that arvo to confirm no hyper-ovulation and told us we were all systems go for BMS commencing Friday 30.06. We decided to go for everyday of my 7 fertile days this month and wait and see at the Day 21 bloods (taken on day 20 as it was a Friday so Nurse and I could chat afterwards).

She phoned that afternoon of Friday 6.06 to say Progesterone looked good for ovulation this month and we will now commence the 2WW. 

Here were my results:

Progesterone - 45 nmol/l
Reference intervals:
Follicular        1 - 4
Mid Cycle

Luteal           15 - 100

Post menopausal  <4

Estradiol - 507 pmol/L
Female Reference intervals:
Follicular        46 - 600
Mid Cycle
Luteal           160 - 770
Post menopausal  <200
Male Reference interval <160

LH - 23.1 IU/L
FSH - 8.1 IU/L
LH reference interval:

0 - 9 years       0 - 2.5 IU/L

>=10 - 15 years   Prepubertal range 0 - 2.5 IU/L. 

Levels rise during puberty towards adult ranges.

Adult male        2 - 9 IU/L

Adult female      Follicular                2 - 8 IU/L

                  Mid Cycle                 10 - 75 IU/L

                  Luteal                    2 - 8 IU/L

                  Post Menopause            >15 IU/L

                  Antenatal                 <1 IU/L

FSH reference interval:

0 - 9 years       0 - 6.5 IU/L

>=10 - 15 years   Prepubertal range 0 - 6.5 IU/L. 

Levels rise during puberty towards adult ranges.

Adult male        2 - 12 IU/L

Adult female      Follicular                3 - 10 IU/L

                  Mid Cycle                 4 - 25 IU/L

                  Luteal                    2 - 8 IU/L

                  Post Menopause            >20 IU/L

                  Antenatal                 <1 IU/L

Its Day 24 of my cycle today and I am feeling very tired and uncomfortable which I normally am prior to my period. We have decided to take a early detection pregnancy test this month before Day 30. I am incredibly nervous and trying not to get my hopes up. Hubby's birthday next Wednesday so hoping for an early birthday present... we will see. Will post results.

Well Saturday came, we decided to do the HPT first thing in the morning. It was a fairly quick BFN but had a very very faint second line at the 10 minute mark, so we waited till Day 30 to see. AF came on Day 32 this cycle. 

After doing some reading on 'timing' I have realised that those on Clomiphene can have their cycles lengthened and also ovulated later than usual on Day 19 or 20. This doesnt help! Our timing was all round O on Day 16 which tested positive on the OPK? im confused now. Just something else to talk to my Nurse about, that and the pain im getting in my right hip. Found info online about Clomiphene increasing your chances of Ovarian cancer so not taking any chances with my 'missing' right ovary.

Anyhoo, May wasnt our month, so lets try for June. Cycle 4. Ill post again soon.