In the article “Clomid and rudimentary twins” we will answer the following questions:
- Why Clomid can increase the likelihood of multiples?
- Other factors that increase the chances of having twins.
- How do I know if I’m pregnant with twins while taking Clomid?
- What should I expect if I am expecting twins after Clomid?
How did I manage to get pregnant after many failures?
For every 20 pregnancies conceived with Clomid, only one will result in twins. Clomid, which is a pill taken by mouth to stimulate ovulation, causes twin pregnancies between 5 and 8 percent of cases. That’s less than one in 10 pregnancies. Your chances of conceiving triplets (or more) on Clomid are even lower: less than one percent (less than one in 100 pregnancies).
Fertility drugs have a reputation for causing multiple pregnancies – meaning more than one baby is conceived at a time, resulting in twins, triplets, or even more babies. If you are taking clomid (clomiphene), you may be nervous (or excited) about having two or more children at once. However, these noteworthy multiple high-order stories are more likely with injectable fertility drugs that are used during intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Clomid and rudimentary twins. Why Clomid can increase the likelihood of multiples?
A woman’s ovaries contain hundreds of thousands of follicles, each containing immature eggs. Once a month, several follicles begin the development process. Usually only one follicle fully develops and releases an egg. This is because once the follicle is mature enough on its own, the follicle releases hormones into the bloodstream that signal the body to slow down the production of egg-stimulating hormones.
Clomid works by tricking the body into producing egg hormones, causing the follicles in the ovaries to continue to mature, increasing the chance that more than one egg will develop to maturity and be released at the time of ovulation.
Most twins conceived with Clomid will not be identical. In clinical trials of twin pregnancies, one in five were identical twins, while 80 percent of twin pregnancies were twins (not identical).
Why are they not identical? Clomid increases your chances of having twins because your ovaries can ovulate more than one egg: identical twins come from one egg, not two.
How do I know if I’m pregnant with twins while taking Clomid?
The symptoms of early pregnancy are no different from twins. An early positive pregnancy test result or the presence of a high level of hCG in a blood test are not reliable indicators of twin pregnancy. This means you won’t know if you’ve conceived twins until you have an ultrasound. Depending on your history, your doctor may prescribe it at the six-week mark (two weeks after you missed your period), but this may be too early to detect twins. However, by the eighth week, a twin pregnancy should appear.