metformin will help me?

i am 27 years old ,married and me and my husband tying for kid from last year but unsuccessful.i was diagnosed pcod bilateral and minor level hypothyroid upto 5 mg//dl......i am on 100 mg thyronome and 1500mg metformin  since 1.5 months..my period came on 10 july after taking deviry......but they didn`t come till yet... my pregnancy test on 17 august was negitive too.........today is 28th august.................i am continuing my treatment ............................but quite impatience................as people start asking me when will i have a baby................................................i am suffering from social trauma.....................................................................

[Chatty_Kathy_7]

Hi, I had problems getting pregnant, as well.  I went on birth control pills when I was 16, because of menstrual pain and acne. I went off of it at age 20 to try and get pregnant.  We tried for a year and then we stopped trying for 2 years and started trying again for the next 12 years until I was almost 35.  I never got a single period on my own for this period of time.  I had testing done when I was around 24 by a fertility doctor and was diagnosed with PCOS.  I am an Ultrasound Technologist.  I saw my ovaries on the ultrasounds and they were full of cysts.  They looked  like a cluster of grapes.  I had to take Provera (progesterone) to bring on a period before taking the fertility drug, Clomid.  I got pregnant 4 times.  I was only able to carry them for exactly 3 months each.  This is a problem with pregnant PCOS patients.  I got very sick when I was 35 years old and my husband is older than me, so we decided to stop trying.  Not being able to have a child was and still is devastating to me.  

I went to an endocrinologist at this time, who found that my insulin levels were very high.  So, he put me on Metformin.  At that time it was fairly new to do.  After exactly 3 months, I had my very first period on my own since I was 16 years old.  I ended up going back on the BCP shortly after that for the same reason as before.  I have been on Metformin for 13 years now.  I ended up in the hospital for something unrelated.  When I was there the doctor scared me terribly.  He told me that my sugar levels were not good and if I didn't start on a diabetic diet, I would definitely end up a diabetic in the next couple of years.  All of my relatives on my dads side got diabetes in their 40's.  My grandma went blind from it and my aunt died at 53 from heart complications due to her diabetes.  She was not able to get pregnant either.  Yikes!  I started seeing a dietician right away.  She explained to me that a low glycemic index (GI) diet is recommended for PCOS patients.  I started with baby steps and within about 2 or 3 months I noticed a drastic change in my weight.  I never tried to cut back on calories and never felt hungry.  I always used to be hungry, especially for the high glycemic index foods like fat free potato chips, jelly beans, etc.  Within one year, I weigh less than I ever did as an adult.  

Last month I had some routine blood tests, along with a full cholesterol panel, sugar and insulin.  My cholesterol levels were always very abnormal, which is another problem in PCOS, even though for a lot of this time I was a vegetarian.  Now the levels are normal, except my good cholesterol, HDL, is too low.  The thing that shocks me the most is that my insulin levels are better than the average healthy person!  My acne has gotten better too.  It is amazing!  (I haven't seen my ovaries to see if the cysts are gone, because I had to quit work due to other health issues and I am to sick to go for an ultrasound just to see.  It wouldn't change anything now.)  I believe that it is all chalked up to the low glycemic index diet and taking Metformin.  Some doctors have been known to give patients Metformin in their 40's, when they have a strong family history of diabetes, just as a precaution.  If I knew then, what I know now, I may have been able to get pregnant naturally and carried to full term!

I strongly recommend you see a fertility specialist.  If he/she advises that you take Metformin, I think it would be wise.  As you have probably already gathered, I believe that a low GI diet would also help.  Food is stronger than medicine!  I have done a lot of searching for information about this.  The following is an email with information about this that I sent to my sister:

Here are some sites for glycemic index and glycemic load, which have information about glycemic index and glycemic load  and lists of food.  You won't see protein, fat, or very low carbohydrate foods on the list of foods for glycemic index or glycemic load.  Only carbohydrate foods have a glycemic index and therefore glycemic load , so the other foods you can automatically eat without worrying about them raising your blood sugars.  You don't have to cut calories with this type of a lifestyle change, but should eat the number of calories for your ideal weight. Obviously, you should try to keep your saturated fat down to a minimum and never have transfats as they are very unhealthy.  Look on the labels to see what is in the food, like carbohydrate, fat;saturated and transfats, protein, and more.   Try to eat salmon, halibut and other cold water fish to get healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids into your body at least 2 or 3 times/week.  When you eat carbohydrate foods with fat and protein, it slows down the blood sugar response.  So it is better to eat your fruit after your meal not by itself, for example.  Also, foods that have vinegar in them, like pickles slow down the sugar from entering your blood stream.  Cinnamon does this too.  Exercise also helps your body keep your blood sugar more level, too.

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/1/5.full.pdf

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2008/10/03/dc08-1239.full.pdf

http://www.montignac.com/en/search-for-a-specific-glycemic-index/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/62/4/869S.full.pdf

http://www.robburkefitness.com/site/linked_docs/Revised%20International%20Table%20of%20Glycemic%20Index.pdf

I keep these links on my home page (desk top) for easy access.

There are several books out their too.  I am reading two;  Low GI Guide To Living Well With PCOS & The Glycemic Index Diet For Dummies.

Managpal, I know what you are going through, as far as the social stigmatism.  At first, I didn't want to tell anybody what my husband and I were going through.  After a few years, it took it's toll for both my husband and I.  I think he took this all much harder than me.  He hated to see what I was going through medically and felt helpless.  We started talking with people who were close to us.  Even though it didn't fix anything, it was very helpful to have the support from our loved ones.  Please, I hope you can learn from my experience.  I wish you all the best and a little bouncing baby to love real soon!

[Sanjivani Wanjari, MD]

HI,
With PCOS and hypothyroidism you need to continue with the treatment. This will result in normalizing of the hormonal milieu. However in order to conceive you will also require further treatment in the form of induction of ovulation and possibly IUI. Consult an infertility expert for an evaluation.
Hope this helps.

[beauty12]

I have pcos as well. I was 18 whn i found out. Me n dh started trying for baby at age of 20. I was told to loose weight i m 5.3 n was 85kg. I lost nearly 20kg hoing back to 65kg. My periods were abnormal. B4 starting medication my weight loss helped my periods reduced from 40-50 days to exactly 35 days. I have taken metformin for yr n hlf. Coz of healthy diet n maintaining weight i already started getting periods everymonth. I also took 10 rounds of clomid which helped my periods to become 28-30 days. In this i fell pregnant last yr on my 6th round of clomid but unfortunately lost babybat 11weeks in december 2011.i gave my body two months time i also gained stress weight. I took vlomid for 3 more months but unsuccessful. So i took a month off and reducef my weight to 62kg from 67kg. I took clomid in may n i m pregnant again. I was told tht i hve to take metformin no matter what atleast 1 tab a day coz it hlps alot.
If u r over weight try loosing sum lb. Metformin will help u alot n evn if u think u could be pregnant it does not harm baby.

[Chatty_Kathy_7]

Hi, I had problems getting pregnant, as well.  I went on birth control pills when I was 16, because of menstrual pain and acne. I went off of it at age 20 to try and get pregnant.  We tried for a year and then we stopped trying for 2 years and started trying again for the next 12 years until I was almost 35.  I never got a single period on my own for this period of time.  I had testing done when I was around 24 by a fertility doctor and was diagnosed with PCOS.  I am an Ultrasound Technologist.  I saw my ovaries on the ultrasounds and they were full of cysts.  They looked  like a cluster of grapes.  I had to take Provera (progesterone) to bring on a period before taking the fertility drug, Clomid.  I got pregnant 4 times.  I was only able to carry them for exactly 3 months each.  This is a problem with pregnant PCOS patients.  I got very sick when I was 35 years old and my husband is older than me, so we decided to stop trying.  Not being able to have a child was and still is devastating to me.  

I went to an endocrinologist at this time, who found that my insulin levels were very high.  So, he put me on Metformin.  At that time it was fairly new to do.  After exactly 3 months, I had my very first period on my own since I was 16 years old.  I ended up going back on the BCP shortly after that for the same reason as before.  I have been on Metformin for 13 years now.  I ended up in the hospital for something unrelated.  When I was there the doctor scared me terribly.  He told me that my sugar levels were not good and if I didn't start on a diabetic diet, I would definitely end up a diabetic in the next couple of years.  All of my relatives on my dads side got diabetes in their 40's.  My grandma went blind from it and my aunt died at 53 from heart complications due to her diabetes.  She was not able to get pregnant either.  Yikes!  I started seeing a dietician right away.  She explained to me that a low glycemic index (GI) diet is recommended for PCOS patients.  I started with baby steps and within about 2 or 3 months I noticed a drastic change in my weight.  I never tried to cut back on calories and never felt hungry.  I always used to be hungry, especially for the high glycemic index foods like fat free potato chips, jelly beans, etc.  Within one year, I weigh less than I ever did as an adult.  

Last month I had some routine blood tests, along with a full cholesterol panel, sugar and insulin.  My cholesterol levels were always very abnormal, which is another problem in PCOS, even though for a lot of this time I was a vegetarian.  Now the levels are normal, except my good cholesterol, HDL, is too low.  The thing that shocks me the most is that my insulin levels are better than the average healthy person!  My acne has gotten better too.  It is amazing!  (I haven't seen my ovaries to see if the cysts are gone, because I had to quit work due to other health issues and I am to sick to go for an ultrasound just to see.  It wouldn't change anything now.)  I believe that it is all chalked up to the low glycemic index diet and taking Metformin.  Some doctors have been known to give patients Metformin in their 40's, when they have a strong family history of diabetes, just as a precaution.  If I knew then, what I know now, I may have been able to get pregnant naturally and carried to full term!

I strongly recommend you see a fertility specialist.  If he/she advises that you take Metformin, I think it would be wise.  As you have probably already gathered, I believe that a low GI diet would also help.  Food is stronger than medicine!  I have done a lot of searching for information about this.  The following is an email with information about this that I sent to my sister:

Here are some sites for glycemic index and glycemic load, which have information about glycemic index and glycemic load  and lists of food.  You won't see protein, fat, or very low carbohydrate foods on the list of foods for glycemic index or glycemic load.  Only carbohydrate foods have a glycemic index and therefore glycemic load , so the other foods you can automatically eat without worrying about them raising your blood sugars.  You don't have to cut calories with this type of a lifestyle change, but should eat the number of calories for your ideal weight. Obviously, you should try to keep your saturated fat down to a minimum and never have transfats as they are very unhealthy.  Look on the labels to see what is in the food, like carbohydrate, fat;saturated and transfats, protein, and more.   Try to eat salmon, halibut and other cold water fish to get healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids into your body at least 2 or 3 times/week.  When you eat carbohydrate foods with fat and protein, it slows down the blood sugar response.  So it is better to eat your fruit after your meal not by itself, for example.  Also, foods that have vinegar in them, like pickles slow down the sugar from entering your blood stream.  Cinnamon does this too.  Exercise also helps your body keep your blood sugar more level, too.

http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/1/5.full.pdf

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2008/10/03/dc08-1239.full.pdf

http://www.montignac.com/en/search-for-a-specific-glycemic-index/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

http://www.ajcn.org/content/62/4/869S.full.pdf

http://www.robburkefitness.com/site/linked_docs/Revised%20International%20Table%20of%20Glycemic%20Index.pdf

I keep these links on my home page (desk top) for easy access.

There are several books out their too.  I am reading two;  Low GI Guide To Living Well With PCOS & The Glycemic Index Diet For Dummies.

Managpal, I know what you are going through, as far as the social stigmatism.  At first, I didn't want to tell anybody what my husband and I were going through.  After a few years, it took it's toll for both my husband and I.  I think he took this all much harder than me.  He hated to see what I was going through medically and felt helpless.  We started talking with people who were close to us.  Even though it didn't fix anything, it was very helpful to have the support from our loved ones.  Please, I hope you can learn from my experience.  I wish you all the best and a little bouncing baby to love real soon!

[ZandersMommy11]

I also have PCOS. I wasn't getting my period when I tried to get pregnant. so I went to a fertilty specialest. They put me on birth control to try to trick my body into ovulation, also tried clomid..didn't do a thing. BUT we tried fermera, which is a new drug usually used to treat breast cancer.. It worked right away, I took a trigger shot to drop my egg and boom I was pregnant and welcomed my son 4-5-11. I know it is hard to be patient..Because I was not. But try to be, stress can also cause it harder to get pregnant. If you have any questions just ask.

[managpal]

thanks girls for your advice and experience........................................

[managpal]

thanks alot for the information you provided...................i would definitely work on it...on september 3rd, my periods came.it remains for 3 days and it was nearly normal 1st time i remember when i got to know about my period irregular problem.........i will always be in touch with you guys.......

[managpal]

I am taking metformin regularly....my diet is balanced..loosing weight....but now after 3 sept, i got my period on 18 november........till now no period.....