PCOS

have a pcos and want to have another child but i can't b/c i have to lose the weight and i don't ovulate every month. i'm taking metformin and nonthing is happening. I would like to have one before i turn 35 i'm 33 now. What should be the proper techinque to use.

[John Kim, M.D.]

Lifestyle changes like low carbohydrate diet, exercising regularly such as walking 1hour each day and if your doctor says it is ok--cardivascular exercises like jogging or elliptical for 3-5x/week, avoiding high fat diet and trans fats, reducing stress in your life by mind/body programs like meditation, yoga, prayer, tai chi should help you lose weight. It has been shown that if you can lose 5% of your weight it can help in getting pregnant.
All lifestyle approaches are important, however recent studies have shown that for women with PCOS without diabetes or pre-diabetes Metformin alone has not been as effective as taking the fertility drug Clomiphene to get pregnant. If you have pre-diabetes or diabetes then you should continue Metformin, however you may need to add clomiphene to get pregnant. If you do not have diabetes or pre-diabetes then Metformin may not help you to get pregnant nor will it help you lose weight. Your doctor can check a 2hour glucose challenge test with a 75 gram glucose challenge to determine if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
The kind of doctor who specializes in treating women with PCOS is called a Reproductive Endocrinologist. I would suggest that you consult one. All the best.