Overview
Here’s the thing… there’s no one day that everyone ovulates when taking Clomid. There are Clomid calculators online that claim to tell you when you’ll ovulate, but they really are just a best guess. That said, there are average ovulation days. Also, there are ways you can time sex to increase your chances of getting pregnant during treatment.
Clomid Protocols
Some doctors recommend taking Clomid on Days 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of your cycle, while others recommend taking Clomid on Days 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. If you’re on the Day 3 to 7 protocol, this would mean you’re most likely to ovulate (on average) sometime between Day 14 and Day 17 of your cycle. To conceive, you want to have sex before you ovulate. So, you might want to have sex every day or every other day starting on Day 11 and ending on Day 18. If you’re on the Day 5 to 9 protocol, you’re most likely to ovulate (on average) between Day 16 and 19. In this case, you’d want to start having sex every day or every other day starting on Day 13 through Day 21. These are just averages. It’s possible you’ll ovulate earlier or later than the average. This means you could theoretically miss your most fertile time if you start having sex too early or too late.
Ovulation Predictor Tests
Your best bet to tell when you’re ovulating is to use an ovulation predictor test. If you’ve never tried an ovulation predictor test (OPK), they work a lot like pregnancy tests. You pee on a stick, and the test will indicate whether you’re in your fertile window or not. You can start taking the OPKs the day after you finish your Clomid pills. Keep taking the tests until you get a positive result. A positive result indicates that you’re nearing ovulation and should have sex. Start having sex every day until the OPKs are no longer positive.
Consider Charting Your Temperature
One thing to keep in mind: a positive OPK doesn’t mean you ovulated. It just means the hormone LH was detected in your urine. While LH does surge before ovulation, this doesn’t guarantee that you actually ovulated. If you want to be surer that you ovulated, consider charting your basal body temperature. This will let you know when and if you actually ovulated.
Using Clomid With Injectables
Sometimes, Clomid is used together with injectable medications. The most common injectable medication is the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is sometimes called a trigger shot because it triggers ovulation to occur within 24 to 48 hours after injection. That means your most fertile day will be the day of the trigger shot injection.
Have Sex All Month Long
If you’d rather not bother with ovulation test kits, you can just have sex every one or two days, all month long. If you have sex every other day or every two days, you’re bound to have sex during your fertile time. Start after you finish taking your Clomid pills. There are other advantages to having frequent sex—it’s better for his sperm, and it’s healthy for your relationship.
Challenges
If you or your partner are struggling with having sex “on the clock,” you’re not alone. This is a common struggle for couples trying to conceive. For one thing, you may need to have sex when you’re not in the mood. Don’t feel bad for not feeling it. Secondly, it can feel weird to have sex knowing that your doctor knows you’re having sex on particular days. (Just so you know… your doctor isn’t even thinking about you having sex. Honestly.) Having sex frequently throughout the month—instead of only on your ovulation days—can help with this tension. Another thing to keep in mind is sex-on-demand during a fertility treatment cycle isn’t forever. It’s only during these cycles, and this time will eventually pass. Keeping in mind that this is a temporary problem can help ease your stress.
