Expert: Wendy Zwickl - 8/17/2004

Question
Hi, a friend of mind went for her 12 day scan today and was very confused when she came out.  She is on clomid (Her second round of trying clomid but her third cycle) and when the doc (GP) looked at her uterus first he said she had a very good lining (9 and half)and proceeded to look for the follicles on each ovary - but there were none.  He could see what he said was a corpus luteum but no follicles.  Does this mean she could be pregnant and too early to detect because she said on the previous cycle she started bleeding on day 23 when she usually on has a period on day 28 (implantation?).  She took clomid again 4 - 8 and now no follicles?
Very confusing - do you have any ideas as what could have happened (suppose she could have ovulated early as well hey?)

Answer
Angie,

Sounds like she had already ovulated or that she didn't respond well to that amount of Clomid. I don't think that she would be pregnant...and she should not be taking the clomid if she is. Her doc should have verified before the second round of clomid that she was indeed not pregnant if there was any doubt at all.
I highly recommend using an RE with clomid, since many GP's skip the post coital test altogether and it is very important (IMHO). clomid makes many women's CM hostile to sperm, creating the need for IUI. You did not mention if your friend is having IUI...I am assuming that she is not, here.
In any case, to say definitively that she is not pregnant or that she already ovulated would not be right, so I am just guessing. How did she respond to the first round of clomid? Is she diagnosed with any underlying cause? Has she had the pre-fertility treatment tests? These are just things that would help answer the question as to why she wouldn't respond to clomid.
If you can give me any other info that would be helpful, I would be glad to offer some advice on questions to ask the doc. Sorry I couldn't give you an easy answer.:-( Good luck to your friend! :-)
Wendy