Does Clomid affect ovulation test kit results? If so, how?

-- Tammy

Clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene) -- commonly called fertility pills -- works by tricking your pituitary gland at the base of the brain into thinking the ovary is a bit lazy. The pituitary gland attempts to stimulate the ovarian response by increasing the output of stimulating hormones LH and FSH. Usually the resulting blood hormone levels start to drop again by the fifth day of medication, as the ovary starts to respond. But that is not always the case. Two special conditions deserve mention.

The first situation is where the LH and FSH level are elevated one to two days after the last tablet. An FSH level that is elevated immediately after you stop the medication may indicate diminished ovarian reserve. As you age, the ovary is less responsive to hormonal stimulation, and age-related poor egg quality is indicated by elevated FSH levels.

The second condition is when the LH level rises as the FSH level drops. It's normal for the LH level to rise around the time of ovulation, but immediately after the last tablet, the level should still remain low for another few days until the follicle and uterine lining have matured. If the LH level is high before ovulation (in the early part of the follicular phase), egg quality may be poor.

If you are using a urinary LH kit (ovulation predictor kit, or OPK) to predict ovulation and either of these conditions has caused the LH levels to be high, you may see a false indication of ovulation or a positive test for many consecutive days. For this reason, I tell my patients on this medication to begin testing four days after the last tablet.