sarahHaran

Hi, Hockeybaby -
I went through 3 months of Clomid, the first two at 50 mg, the last one at 100 mg. It DID seem to push my surge out, I think the last month I even ovulated at maybe day 19 or 20. I know I kept waiting and waiting and had to buy a second OPK! So, I wouldn't give up hope yet, especially since you were able to ovulate on the 50 mg.
As far as the OPK's go, I actually tested twice a day, one in mid-morning, the other in late-afternoon. I read that sometimes a surge can be short, like 5-10 hours or something, so that's a good way to ensure you don't miss it. It IS expensive, though, especially if you aren't sure of the general day that you will ovulate (when Clomid messes you up, etc.)
One thing I also noticed with OPK's is the extreme difference in sensitivity. Ok, I am ashamed to admit this, but I am so obsessed and also curious about how these things work, that I would actually do two tests at once (of different brands) to just see what the difference is, and try to get as much information as possible. Anyway, the First Response ones are sooooooo sensitive, that for me to get a positive and truly ovulate (proved by a progesterone test), I actually have to have the test line DARKER than the control line, not just the same color. But, Clearblue shows my surge when the lines are the same color, the test line doesn't have to be darker. So, there's a couple thoughts on that. The way I feel about it is YOU KNOW when you're surging, the line pops up on the test almost immediately, and there's no looking closely to compare colors, it's obvious.
Oh, also, yes I had crampiness all month long with the Clomid. Your ovaries are probably even more stimulated with this higher dose. Keep watch about what you're feeling, because after ovulation I started to have a lot of pain in the side of my abdomen, and it turned out I had ovarian cysts from over-stimulation. They go away on their own usually, but I did have to stop Clomid for this month.
Anyway, I hope that answers some of your questions. I know how you feel, we've been trying for about 3 years also, and it's just so frustrating. How old are you? (hope that's ok to ask) Anyway, this board will be a good resource for you. Keep us posted!

Sarah