Metformin to help conception with PCOS

[Leaht23]

I don’t know if this is the right thread, but has anyone with PCOS taken metformin to help with symptoms and also conception?

I was diagnosed in 2020 as I had no periods for months and also a scan showed cysts on my ovaries. I thought I was fine now (regular periods and no more cysts shown on scan) until I’ve been TTC for many months and realised the underlying PCOS is probably not helping. I believe I have insulin resistance as I’m constantly putting on weight despite diet and exercise. For reference I was a size 6 just before I got diagnosed, now a size 16.

If you have PCOS and taken metformin, do you feel it aided your conception? :)

I don't have experience of Metformin but I have PCOS and conceived naturally. It can take a while without any health issues, how long have you been TTC? If you have regular periods you may be fine without pills. Have you been using ovulation tests to check you're ovulating?

We’re on our 10th month, I know it’s not long in the grand scheme of things but I was also hoping the metformin would help control my weight gain a bit. At CD17 my OPK was at 0.9 and then went down to 0.3 by CD19, so I’m assuming I’m ovulating.

Hi, I took metformin but along with letrozole so I can’t be 100% sure if the metformin did have an affect but I did fall pregnant first month on letrozole/ metformin and then took metformin until I was 18 weeks pregnant I think. I did also give up sugar to help with my PCOS which definitely helped weight loss and with the metformin I have an awful upset stomach whenever I had sugar anyway so was quite easy in the end

I know it's hard but you need to get your weight down, as soon as I did (avoiding carbs, calorie counting, lots of gym time) I conceived. I have quite severe PCOS without the pill I have a few periods a year. When I got my BMI right down I started having a period every 40 days it's not a lifestyle that's sustainable especially once you have a child but it worked for me

After 3 years of trying and having some tests for Endo the lovely consultant said I understand you’d like to be pregnant too. She suspected I’d become insulin resistant She prescribed metformin. And boom within a few months I was expecting. I did have to go to doctor to have it switched to slow release metformin as it really upset my stomach.

Maybe have a chat with your GP but I'd be surprised if they prescribed Metformin if you are having regular periods and are ovulating. If I were you I'd be trying to get my weight down naturally - good healthy diet and exercise. Good luck!

Metformin did absolutely nothing to make me ovulate.

I went over a year without a period or obvious ovulation while taking it. I started taking myo-innistol within weeks i had a period. Then developed a regular 30ish day cycle. Got to the point with tracking I could pinpoint my ovulation.

Conceived first time trying.

Obviously this in acedotal but there are a lot of women who have had sucess with myoinnistol. There is also some research on it if you do a pub med search. I doubt we'll ever get any decent large scale resesrch on it as PCOS isn't very well resesrchrd generally and no one can make money off it.

Its a relatively cheap over the counter supplement (i use the one from natures best but there are others). Its worth a try honestly.

I've been on metformin for few years.
It didn't help regulate my cycles or make me ovulate. I've also taken clomid.
Both above failed to help get me pregnant. In the end it was ivf for me that worked .
Metformin also didn't aid with weight loss

I did lose Weight. I lost 2 stone before my ivf cycle. Went from 16 down to 12-14 by walking 2 times a week, so you dont need to be essessively exercising. Cut out sugar, if i had a treat which i daily did 😆 I ate a protein bar , picked ones high protein low sugar . Did intermittent fasting. 16-8 . All that alone helped regulate my cycles and I eventually started ovulating on my own but just didn't get pregnant.

Sorry to hear you’re having a tough time.

I have PCOS and have been on metformin twice, both times it’s help me ovulate and conceive. I had my son in 2018 after 2 years of unsuccessful trying, and I’m currently pregnant now having been on metformin again.

It really doesn’t happen quickly though - it’s a strong drug and it has horrid side effects. Luckily my body and ovaries respond well to it and once I have staggered the dosage over several weeks to get up to where I need to be (2000mg per day), my body copes with it fine and it brings my cycles down from between 60-90 days to just consistently 35 days.

The majority of people who struggle with metformin stop taking it too soon, but if you’re going to do it, really stick with it. Each time it has taken me around 6 months to get my cycles regular with metformin.

When I was TTC my son, back in 2017, metformin was only issued by a fertility dr, however since then it has changed and the GP can now prescribe it but only if you have an official PCOS diagnosis on record.

DD1 - metformin of 2000mg a day. Brought back my cycles to a more regular cycle but no ovulation showing on blood tests. Conceived after 3 rounds of letrozole. Was 34 at the time.

DD2 - 2000mg of metformin again but this time I did the Fast 800 diet as well and lost 12kg. Conceived naturally whilst waiting for the fertility clinic to prescribe more letrozole. Almost 37 at the time of conception.

I’ve been taking metformin since 2021 (2000mg per day). I probably ovulated 2-4 times a year beforehand and within 3 months I’d dropped about 10kg because of the side effects (didn’t have an appetite/sickness) and got pregnant after 4 cycles.

If you do start taking it, stick with it. The side effects don’t last forever. I had none at all within a few months. I also continued to take it through my pregnancy and out the other side. I have continued to have regular cycles ever since despite gaining/losing weight over time. And I’m just pregnant again with #2.

Im on metformin, myo inostol , Letrozole..
And vit d
And folic acid.
I have pcos

Miscarriage history
Ovulated most cycles without the meds

Letrozole brings fwd ovulation
And regulates pcos cycles
Ive lost half a stone
I think due to the myo inostol

I conceived my first whilst taking Metformin after multiple miscarriages prior. However that was after surgery to remove stage 2 endometriosis and I also took progesterone and aspirin for the first time so there were a few variables at play which may or may not have helped… Then had another child whilst only taking progesterone so it’s possible it was just that that helped to maintain the pregnancy. Hope you have/had success x