Community post

Generally the earlier in your cycle you take clomid the greater the chance there is to release more eggs, while the later in your cycle you take clomid the less likely you are to release multiple eggs, however the egg quality apparently improves. Basically earlier equals better quantity whereas later equals better quality. I've heard from others that if you can ovulate on your own (albeit infrequently) then taking clomid later in your cycle is better, whereas if you don't ovulate on your own taking clomid earlier might give you a better chance. The most common days to take clomid is 3-7 and 5-9. If you've had success on 50mg cd 3-7 (meaning you ovulated, because that's all clomid is supposed to do is make you ovulate) then I'd stick with what you're doing. But obviously if you have reservations about continuing doing what you're doing then make an appointment with your doctor and ask if you can switch up how you take your clomid.

Thanks for the reply! So I just spoke with my gynecologist (his office/nurse anyway) and he says he never heard of this (the distinction between 3-7 and 5-9)! He told me it makes no difference what day I start it, it doesn't work differently.
I do ovulate on my own (according to BBT) but the doc thought the quality might not be good. That said, he doesn't think monitoring me or doing an ultrasound, etc. is necessary to verify that everything is working or to see if the quality really is the issue.
So I'm definitely tempted to try 5-9 even though I did have success on 3-7 but that one also ended in a CP. As of right now, I'm not sure what to do.
I would like to get a second opinion from a specialist but my insurance doesn't cover it and there's none nearby so I really don't have much of a choice.

What's the harm in trying 5-9 then if that's what you'd like to do? Really, if your doctor or whomever you spoke with says it makes no difference what days it's taken on then give it a try. I'm kind of shocked your doctor sees no point in monitoring . I don't completely disagree with doing unmonitored clomid (I did it ttc our second), but I do believe there's certainly cases where monitoring is necessary and certainly needed, and maybe in your case it is something that you might need to have to make sure the dosage your at is working for you. On a side note that's too bad about your insurance not covering another specialist.