Pcos and metformin

[PearlHeart]

Hi everyone ,

I am looking for some advice or tips if possible. I am also sorry if this is the wrong section to post in.

I have been in the fertility/endocrinologist clinic for 12 years now (18-30) I have had no help for my pcos other than a huge pressure/ being forced to consider bariatric surgery.

The Bariatric surgery team have said they would rather my hormone levels were a bit more stable before doing irreversible surgery, they agreed I would lose weight. Yet their worry is if things are not under control that I will stall in losing weight or regain weight back so a pointless surgery.

Recently my consultant has agreed to a trial of metformin
Week 1 : 1 tablet per day
Week 2 : 2 tablets per day
Week 3 - onwards : 3 tablets per day

I haven't been given much in the way of what to possibly expect or anything that could help.

I'm apprehensive as I have heard horror stories of diarrhoea, sickness and tummy upsets etc

💜💗

@orangejuicer

Thank you for replying, oh that's good to know some don't get any problems. It really seems like it's a mixed bag.

@ajandjjmum

Thank you so much for replying.

I have the weight gain, terrible mood swings too combined with facial hair growth. pcos is not a nice/ easy thing to live with at all.

I'm so glad it was manageable side effects, I was kind of worried it would be too horrible to handle. Silly probably but too much Google and not enough information from fertility consultant or gp so I'm in the dark.

I'm glad to hear it can help with the mood effects. I'm so glad it helped your daughters weight, it certainly does have a big impact on self esteem. I can sympathise on that front.

From what I have seen on Google a few people feel the slow release isn't as effective at helping with they symptoms but others prefer it even if it takes longer for results.

I May remember that to ask my consultant about if I can be flexible after being on it a little while.

Thank you

I took the standard version of metformin for PCOS to help conceive my DD. I had no gastro issues at all and found it did help with weight loss alongside the low carb eating plan I did. I'm planning on going back onto it in Jan when i finish breastfeeding. So gastro issues are not a forgone conclusion.

[quote PearlHeart]@HouseIsOnFire

Unfortunately I have I have been in weight management groups which I was referred to by the fertility/endocrinologist since 2014.

I have completed these 12 week programmes 5 times as the other 2 years they told my consultant there's no point referring me to the service.

However I have disordered eating, from 11-16 I would avoid food as much as possible and supliment with water eating one meal per day. Then it began to be guilt over eating anything health or not. If I ate a standard meal for 2 hours after I would have horrible stomach cramps and want to throw up as I didn't deserve food because I am disgusting. This is when the weight management groups referred me to food psychology. They discovered body dysmorphia and and disordered eating, they felt I had trained myself over the years ti have basically given myself a gastric band of sorts with the pain / sickness with food. I still struggle with this now I am embarrassed to admit. So it's a challenge to eat 3 meals a day,

I have just completed a further 12 week weight management group and lost 7.5kg but my fertility consultant is not happy. So wants me to do it again and they say there's nothing more they can do as I am not allowed the bariatric surgery that my consultant keeps telling them. As the surgery team feel my hormones are too all over the place and they worry I could end up in a worse off position. They amount of weight my consultant expects me to change PURELY as he wants to to assisted conception is too high to lose in the short time frame I have naturally (from weight management & surgery team) so I'm stuck in a no win situation.

[/quote]
I'm sorry to hear that :( But well done for trying so much. It's a horrible situation to be in x

@GuidingSpirit

Thank you so much for your reply.

Congratulations on having your daughter 💗

That's good to hear that not everyone has gastro problems. Also that it helped with weight.

I feel you just have to go into it with an open mind but also be prepared for the side effects of you get them.

It's lovely to hear first hand experiences and learn more about it. As my fertility consultant didn't explain anything really about it, he didn't want to even allow me to have it he only agreed due to weight management team suggesting I get a trial of it as I have pretty much exhausted all non medical options and I am still being denied bariatric surgery.

@HouseIsOnFire

It's a tough situation, I think it's even more frustrating when it's always said to just lose weight and things will be back to "normal" ( regular cycles etc)

I think I am so determined as I would love to be bow to have a child, after having a number of miscarriages. I will keep trying and fighting.

I took metformin as part of my fertility treatment as I have pcos. At first I took one tablet for two days then upped it to two tablets. I was so ill! Stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea. So my consultant told me to stop taking it. I gave my body a months rest, then tried again, this time only upping the tablet once I could tolerate it. I was up to 3 tablets by the end of the first month. I found I only had gastro issues when I ate greasy food, which helped with the diet as I lost the appetite for greasy food. In the end, my fertility was not helped so I came off it. I lost the weight the hard way instead, by exercising and eating healthily.

When I had to retake metformin when pregnant with gestational diabetes, I had zero side effects so it must affect you differently when taking it for the ‘proper’ reason.

Best of luck.

@Titanium2013

Sorry to hear you had such a rough time at the beginning but we're able to tolerate it better after the break.

It's nice to get first hand experiences on it as I'm going in completely in the dark about the whole thing.
My fertility consultant has refused all care for 12 years, but f the 12 years the last 3 I have been forced to take provera (Medroxyprogesterone) tablets 2 10mg tablets per day for 7 days to induce a breakthrough bleed every 3-4 months. I am in a worse position the last 3 years as now I no longer have natural periods at all, my body is refusing to do what it should.

I have been trying hard to lose weight since 2014 but what I do lose is never good enough and that's anything from a few kg's right up to 2.5 stone. All my consultant is wanting is to get me in to have bariatric surgery because he wants to do assisted conception on me. He doesn't care how I feel or any concerns I have he talks over me etc.

The only reason I was given a trial of this medication is due to the weight management team who I have been referred to almost every year since 2014 have recommended it to see if it could help regulate hormone's? I don't even know if it does that but I feel at this point anything is better than nothing. I have agreed since 2014 to do the bariatric surgery but have been reduced from the surgery team pretty much every year.
Initially it was for disordered eating & body dysmorphia, recent years it's been due to my hormones being too out of control and apparently it would potentially leave me open to Stall in weight loss or put back on a any I have lost. So they say it's a huge irreversible operation and they want my hormones etc under better control but fertility will do nothing until I have the surgery.

Thank you for the luck I think I'm going to need it.

@PearlHeart I can hear your frustration in your words

Losing weight isn’t always the key to fertility. Even though I got down to a healthy weight, I still needed ivf as my hormones just wouldn’t respond. I was resistant to Clomid, metformin didn’t help and even the consultant was left scratching his head!

Best of luck on your journey. We all have a complicated history with our bodies and I really hope that you can achieve your goals xx

@Titanium2013

Yeah I think I have reached rock bottom knowing in the past 3 years im in a much worse situation compared to the first 9 years at fertility clinic.

I know there's weight barriers but Im not allowed anything. It's taken 12 years to get him to agree to a trial or metformin as he won't sterilise me. As he said im too young and don't have at least one living child. Yet when I was pregnant he canceled prescriptions for aspirin etc and told me I wasn't entitled to anything so I miscarried multiple times.

Oh I can only imagine how difficult that must have been.
think fertility consultants are so fixated on weight fixing everything than when it doesn't work they are perplexed.

Thank you so much, yeah I think the relationship between ourselves and our bodies are not the greatest at times.
💜

Hi
I conceived my daughter with metformin {PCOS and undiagnosed type 2 }
Metformin is an incredible drug, did they explain how it works, insulin resistance, ovulation, etc?
Go for it, the gastro issues settle for majority of people and it's so effective

@beebopado

Hi I conceived my daughter with metformin {PCOS and undiagnosed type 2 } Metformin is an incredible drug, did they explain how it works, insulin resistance, ovulation, etc? Go for it, the gastro issues settle for majority of people and it's so effective

It’s definitely worth a go, OP. Is it just the potential gastric issues that are putting you off?

@beebopado

Congratulations on conserving your daughter 💜

If I am brutally honest, nothing was explained to me at all.
My fertility consultant tried to talk me out of it and the gp didn't explain anything either.

I have no idea what it could do in terms or hormones , ovulation etc I'm completely in the dark.

💗

@Chenga

I'm open to trying it as I'm at Rick bottom if I'm honest, I just have no clue about anything to do with it and nobody is explaining ( fertility consultant or my gp) all I have seen on Google is gastro side effects.

I think it's a small price to pay if it can help in any way, im a little nervous but I think it's lack of any luck bfp bar the Google searches and they are a bit confusing

💜

PCOS is a condition of insulin resistance, it's the resistance to insulin and the subsequent high blood insulin levels that inhibit ovulation and make it very difficult to lose weight ( regardless of surgery).
Taking metformin ( and regular exercise) increases the body's sensitivity to insulin causing weight loss ( metabolic not because of gastro side effects) which triggers ovulation.
My DC is now 17 but I do have some back ground knowledge so please feel free to pm

I had to take metformin during pregnancy as I am a t2 diabetic but could not continue to diet control after 12 weeks. I had bad cramping and diarrhea the first day but that was it.

My advice would be to just try it because if you don't you won't know, you can just stop if it does not agree with you. Research will not be able to tell you how you will react to it, and to be honest you may be able to put up with any of the side effects if it is otherwise doing what you want it to.
Good luck

@beebopado

I had absolutely no clue about any of that, my consultant didn't explain anything 12 years ago about pcos and the effect on the body etc. he just told me I must get bariatric surgery or he won't help me if I get pregnant or want to.

He has denied other medications I have enquired about on the basis if I was to fall pregnant naturally then it's classed as fertility assistance and that's not allowed with my bmi under the guidance.

Thank you so much for explain to me , I feel so stupid having it for so many years but being complete in the dark about it.

@Burgerqueenbee

Thank you for your reply, sorry that it gave you a horrible time for the first day.

I think it's more because I am completely in the dark about the whole thing I just wanted to hear if anyone had experience with it. Maybe naively a bit of reassurance and a little hope it could potentially help.

That's very true, I have the option to stop if it doesn't agree with me and I am a rock bottom and desperately hoping for a way out this situation. I'm going to start it tomorrow as I need to collect the prescription today.
I'm happy to tolerate side effects for as long as necessary unless they effect other health issues if I get some results.

Thank you 💜

[quote PearlHeart]@beebopado

I had absolutely no clue about any of that, my consultant didn't explain anything 12 years ago about pcos and the effect on the body etc. he just told me I must get bariatric surgery or he won't help me if I get pregnant or want to.

He has denied other medications I have enquired about on the basis if I was to fall pregnant naturally then it's classed as fertility assistance and that's not allowed with my bmi under the guidance.

Thank you so much for explain to me , I feel so stupid having it for so many years but being complete in the dark about it. [/quote]
it's not your fault! At the risk of getting on my soapbox, if this affected men it would be more known and not left for women to feel like it's their fault!
I think it would be worth getting a second opinion and take a look at NICE guidelines, to my knowledge this is about treating a condition and has nothing to do with BMI

@beebopado

No I feel like that about a number of things women have to deal with. If it was mean dealing with it there would be solutions etc.

I am seriously considering it at this point, I have been told if I want that I must get my consultant to discharge me then go back in the waiting list which is about 2-3 years.

I will have a look tonight, he is juts fixated on assisted conception and shoves down my throat all the things I could have if my bmi was better and all the things I can't get etc. he didn't want me try try metformin hence withholding it for 12 years. As if I fall pregnant apparently it falls back into him and I'm not meant to with my bmi unless I have assistance and his job will be on the line.

Apparently the only way to "fix" pcos is lose drastic weight asap. Which is easier said than done.

💜

@beebopado

PCOS is a condition of insulin resistance, it's the resistance to insulin and the subsequent high blood insulin levels that inhibit ovulation and make it very difficult to lose weight ( regardless of surgery). Taking metformin ( and regular exercise) increases the body's sensitivity to insulin causing weight loss ( metabolic not because of gastro side effects) which triggers ovulation. My DC is now 17 but I do have some back ground knowledge so please feel free to pm

This isn’t necessarily true. Insulin resistance is not present in all women with PCOS and it’s not a diagnostic criterion. But for women who do have IR metformin can certainly be very helpful.

@PearlHeart I would ask for a second opinion to be honest. Metformin might help you to lose weight!

I'm on 1500mg of metformin for PCOS I used to take it years ago when first diagnosed but it made me feel nauseous constantly. This time they started me off on one tablet for a week, then two for a week finally increasing it to 3 tablets, although my gynae did say if I found the 3 to be too much I could stick with 2 and it would do the same job. This time I was fine, although very occasionally if I have a carb loaded meal or eat lots of rich food I do get a bit of a jippy tim. Taking metformin, eating healthy and exercising helped me lose 3 stone, regulated my almost non existent periods and I was finally able to conceive. Sadly though non of my Pregnancies have gotten past the first trimester.

@TuftyMarmoset

Thank you, I'm not sure how I would get a second opinion? ( sorry sounds stupid)
With being seen at an nhs fertility clinic how could I ask or get a second opinion?
When I have questioned things I have basically been told I will need to be discharged and referred back and the wait is 2-3 years apparently.

To be honest I would be happy with my hormones being a bit more under control and if weight goes it's a bonus but I have been trying for years and the amount he wants gone is unrealistic in such a short amount of time.

@RainbowBabyForChristmasPlease

Thank you for your reply, I have been told to do the same 1 500mg tablet for week one then ,two twice per day week 2 and week 3 it's 3 times per day. I was not told if could reduce or change anything.

I started them on Saturday 27 November, I feel nauseous , gassy and had tummy cramps and a few trips to the bathroom. I'm persevering as I had to wait 12 years and have the bariatric surgery test finally fight to get me a trial after 8 years of their involvement.

Fingers crossed it's able to help me at this point I'm not too hopeful it would be just my luck it wouldn't work.

Oh I'm so sorry, it's such a difficult thing to go through. None of my pregnancies have gone beyond 9.5 weeks. My heart goes out to you! I have my fingers crossed! 💜