If you are taking Clomid to induce pregnancy, you may be wondering how to calculate ovulation while taking this medication. This is an important question if you want to increase the success rate of your treatment. If you know when you ovulate, you can have sex on your most fertile days.
Learn more about ovulation and pregnancy success rates with Clomid, and how to calculate when you are most likely to ovulate.
Clomid Ovulation Calculator
There is no exact date that indicates when an individual will ovulate while taking Clomid.
However, there is a general average date for ovulation, and there are ways to time your sex life to increase your chances of getting pregnant during treatment.
Average time to ovulation with Clomid
Most people ovulate 7-10 days after taking their last Clomid tablet. Depending on the Clomid regimen you’re using, you’ll need to have sex every day or every other day from day 11 through day 21 of your cycle.
Clomid Therapy for Pregnancy
Some healthcare providers recommend taking Clomid on days 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of your menstrual cycle, while others recommend taking it on days 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
If you’re following a days 3-7 regimen, you’re most likely to ovulate between days 14 and 17 of your cycle, on average. To get pregnant, you need to have sexbefore ovulation , so you might want to have sex every day or every other day from days 11 through 18.
If you’re on a day 5-9 schedule, ovulation is most likely to occur (on average) between days 16 and 19. In this case, you should begin having sex every day or every other day between days 13-21.
This is just an average: ovulation can occur earlier or later than average, which means that if you start having sex too early or too late, you could miss your theoretically most fertile window.
Clomid ovulation prediction test
The best way to know when you’re ovulating is to use an ovulation test. If you’ve never tried an ovulation predictor kit (OPK), they work a lot like a pregnancy test: you urinate on the test strip, and the strip will tell you if you’re fertile or not.
You can start taking OPK the day after you finish taking Clomid. Keep testing until you get a positive result, which means you are nearing ovulation and should have sex soon.
Consider charting your temperature.
One thing to note: a positive OPK doesn’t mean you’ve ovulated. It simply means that the hormone LH was detected in your urine. LH surges before ovulation, but this doesn’t guarantee that you’ve actually ovulated.
If you want to know more definitively if you’ve ovulated, consider tracking your basal body temperature, which will tell you when and if ovulation actually occurs.
Getting pregnant using Clomid and injections
Clomid may also be combined with injections. The most common injection is the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This medication is sometimes called an ovulation stimulant because it stimulates ovulation within 24-48 hours of injection. This means that the day of your ovulation injection is the day you are most likely to get pregnant.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, start having sex on the day you get your ovulation injection. To maximize your chances of conception, continue having sex every day for the next 3 days.
Sex for a month while taking Clomid
If you don’t want to bother using an ovulation test kit, you can just have sex once or twice a day throughout the month. If you have sex every other day or every other day, you’re having sex during your fertile window. Start after you’ve finished taking Clomid.
Having sex regularly has other benefits, too: It’s good for your partner’s sperm — studies have shown that more frequent ejaculation is associated with better sperm quality — and the emotional and physical experience is good for your relationship.
Potential Challenges of Having Sex During Pregnancy While Taking Clomid
If you or your partner struggle with sex “during work hours,” you’re not alone. This is a common issue for couples trying to conceive. Another thing is that sometimes you have to have sex even when you’re not in the mood. Don’t feel bad if you’re not interested.
Second, it may feel weird to have sex knowing that your doctor knows you’ll have sex on certain days. (And know… your doctor doesn’t want you to have sex. Really.) Having sex regularly throughout the month, not just on ovulation day, can help ease this stress.
Another thing to note is that on-demand sex during fertility treatments does not last forever. It only happens during these cycles. This time will pass.
