Anyone concieve with just weight loss, exercise and Met?

KcJen80WI · 10-12-2009, 12:12 AM

I'm curious if anyone on the board has conceived with weight loss, exercise and Metformin alone? My DH and I have been TTC naturally with no other supportive therapies. I've lost 29 lbs since 8/5/09 and have been taking Metformin since the beginning of July. I've also been exercising (cardio and weights 1-2 times per week since beginning of August). I'm have a lot of strange symptoms which could be attributed to PG. I'm waiting for the blood test results tomorrow. My RE felt I could be PG after hearing only that I was having AF like cramps a month ago (had them again for a few hours this morning). I didn't even have a chance to mention my many other symptoms. Part of me feels like there is something strange going on with my body so I really could be PG. The other part of me see's so many Cysters that have tried everything all the way up to multiple IVF's so I begin to think that it shouldn't happen this easily.

I had a DR appt Friday for my annual exam. He was very pleased with my weight loss (29 lbs since August 5th using Weight Watchers). We talked a bit about the next steps with fertility assistance (as of now we've only been TTC naturally). I casually mentioned to him that I've been feeling weird lately and was wondering if my Metformin needed to be lowered as a result of my weight loss. I felt my crazy symptoms were my body adjusting to the weight loss and possibly needing to be on a lower dosage of Met. He asked what kind of symptoms and I only mentioned cramping like AF was coming about a month ago. He checked my last period (8/5/09) and said he thought I could be PG so he ordered tests.

Here are my symptoms:

PAST MONTH
-lost of very "egg white" consistency CM for two days about a month and a half ago (never really had this before)
-AF like cramps for a day or so about two weeks after CM (NEVER had this unless I'd taken Progesterone to start a period)
-shortly after AF cramps I had a week or so where I had a persistent headache that was non-stop for the entire week. Only periodic headaches now.
-BB's periodically sore and heavy feeling (not constantly - comes and goes. Often I take off my bra and it feels like gravity is going to pull them down to the floor)
-nausea (at least once a day though at varying times)
-dizziness (at least once a day though at varying times)

LAST TWO WEEKS
-heightened sense of smell (I normally have my plug-in airfresheners on high and in every outlet in the house. Last week I refilled all of them and the next day had to turn them down so they wouldn't be so strong. DH says he can't even smell them and I STILL think they're too strong)
-fatigue (extreme starting between 3p-6p. It seriously feels like someone is flipping a switch and then I'm just exhausted). BUT at night I have trouble falling asleep.
-suddenly losing hair like I did before starting Met again. I can recall over the last week thinking (why the heck am I losing hair like this when I'm taking Met now)
-today at my DR appt my BP was elevated to 136/83. My BP has ALWAYS been about exactly 120/80. I was shocked when the nurse questioned if I had been running around all day b/c it was high.
-although I'm on Weight Watchers I've been almost constantly hungry for the past two weeks. I normally leave a few points at the end of each day but for the past two weeks I've been eating them all or going slightly over each day. That said, I'm still losing at least 2lbs a week. My close friend who had PCOS couldn't lose weight until she concieved and only then started losing weight and lost weight all through her PG. She had a perfectly healthy baby girl. I've never had a weight loss like this on WW - normally at this point I'm reaching a plateau or starting to gain.
-some foods that I loved to eat a few weeks ago now gross me out. They even taste different. I was loving cheese and red. fat triscuits - now, yuck!
-Mood swings - sometimes I'm totally down and out and other times I'm like "WOOHOO".

About 3 weeks ago I thought this was weird so I took a home PG test and it turned out neg. although I swore that I could see a very very faint second line. I'm used to the neg. PG tests so I just figured that faint second line was all in my head. I knew that I had the DR's appt coming up today so I figured I would wait until then. Now I'm really nervous. It's one thing to have crazy symptoms and wonder if you're PG. It's another to have a DR tell you he thinks you may be PG for the first time ever.

Making myself crazy weighing all the scenarios - what does everyone else think?

kirvygerl · 10-12-2009, 05:00 PM

This may be better suited in the pregnancy forum, but really, there's no way to tell if your pg based on symptoms alone. Unfortunately, hormonal fluctuations in pcos women can mimic pg. The only way to know for sure is to get a home or lab test to check for HCG in your urine/blood. Have you taken another hpt since the negative one? If you are pg, you may have been too early for it to be picked up in your urine with the last test.

That being said, it is very possible to ovulate after losing weight/working out/taking met/ect or a combination thereof. I ovulated for 9 months on my own during the time I lost 53 pounds and was working out for about an hour 6-7 days a week (weight training 4 of those days). I probably would have become pg w/o fertility assistance if it weren't for DH's severe male-factor infertility that we dealt with as well. I've gone back to a pretty strenuous exercise routine and have had regular, ovulatory cycles for the past 4-5 months. I personally respond very well to exercise, and even though my weight is high for me atm (I'm 5'5" and currently 182), I will ovulate if I keep my weight training and exercise up. If I'm just relying on diet/weight loss, I have to be closer to 165 to ovulate on my own.

Congrats on the weight loss! I hope you get good news about your pg test. KUP

welshgirl · 10-12-2009, 05:34 PM

To answer your initial question, yes. I did conceive that way.

We had been trying for 3 years to conceive a second child. My dr put me on Met, and I began working out and eating more healthfully (and fewer calories) at the same time. I lost about 35 pounds, and my cycles returned, other pcos symptoms subsided etc. I began met and exercise in the spring, and was pregnant by the end of the summer. So yes, it can happen, indeed!

Best of luck to you. I hope you get a positive test result really soon.

FlowingBrooke · 10-13-2009, 09:26 AM

Good luck and congrats on the weight loss! I am TTC also with exercise, diet and Met. We'll see

KcJen80WI · 10-13-2009, 11:08 AM

Thanks for all the insight. My test results were negative for PG. What added a little extra "twist" on the knife was that my Progesterone levels were HALF of what they were BEFORE I started losing weight. My last test was on 7/21/09 and my levels were at 0.4. They pushed a cycle and I re-joined Weight Watchers on 8/5/09. To date I've lost 29.5 lbs. My levels from Friday's test were 0.2. Talk about a serious blow to the motivation! I'm not going to give up though. If I do I'll be much worse than I am now and no closer to conceiving. From what several of you have said, it may help if I beef up my exercise routine. Thus far I've only been exercising 1-2 per week (more like once). The pounds have been melting off (a little over 2.5 lbs per week) so I haven't felt the need to ramp up my exercise efforts. It looks like it might be very helpful if I did. I'm just concerned about losing weight too quickly - I already get these little warnings each week when I update my weight after weigh-in stating that I'm losing more than 2lbs per week. Thanks for the renewed motivation. At least I know there is something I CAN do to help myself!

kirvygerl · 10-13-2009, 05:40 PM

Please also remember that progesterone fluctuates during your cycle. Your progesterone test is not indicative of other health benefits that you have already/will reap as a result of your new lifestyle and you most certainly shouldn't get discouraged based on a normally fluctuating hormone. Progesterone is the dominating hormone during the second half (luteal phase) of your menstrual cycle (estrogen is dominate the first half and serves to create/thicken your uterine lining in preparation for implantation). Progesterone is supposed to peak 7 days after ovulation and will remain high if a pg is achieved. It would be normal for your progesterone to be low if you are in the first half of your cycle.

Of course, women with pcos often have cycle issues and are progesterone deficient. Are you going to have your Dr induce a period with provera or just let things be right now? Do you normally have any consistency with your cycles? Some women use natural progesterone cream (available at some drug stores and/or vitamin/supplement stores) during their luteal phase to help with progesterone issues.

I'm sorry about your BFN. Even if you need fertility treatments to become pg, weight loss is great for overall health and will only serve to be a benefit to you and your baby when you conceive.

ReginaIL821 · 10-14-2009, 12:58 AM

I just wanted to post and let you know, that I did concieve with weight loss and Met. I had tried soy for many months and it helped me O, but not strong enough. But I started exercising and lost 11 pounds in one month. all I did was exercise 60 mins a day 6 days a week. I cut out all pasta and rice except for 2 meals a week whole grain post and 1 brown rice. Other then that it was grilled or steamed meat and lots of fruits and veggies. I had also gotten a Clear Blue fertility monitor and started setting it for my cycles. That month I got pg. I had tried almost everything but surgery for over 6 years. I now have a percious lil baby boy. Who is the light of my life. I am thinking in a month or two I am going to do the same thing over again. I want to try for number 2 soon.
HTH Good Luck hun.

KcJen80WI · 10-14-2009, 11:07 AM

Kirvygerl - Thanks for the clarification on progesterone. I know that I'm not 100% clear on the inner workings of my cycle so it helps to know that my levels from Friday (although they seem nearly non-existent) may not be fully indicative of the health of my reproductive system. My RE prescribed Provera to push a period. I'm holding off a few days on starting it as I have to travel to NYC next week for several days for work and I don't want to deal with the messy afteraffects while working away from home. The progesterone cream is a good idea. I now remember that my friend with PCOS used that before she got PG. I'm going to look around for that. Thanks!

Regina - It definitely helps to hear from someone who didn't have to go through totally invasive procedures to each PG. Last week I weight in at my WW meeting and found that I hit my 10% (of total weight loss). That is a huge mile stone as I know the many health benefits from losing that much of your body weight. I FEEL better too. I refuse to give up. I just need to beef up my exercise routine - that's my biggest problem right now. Monday I tried the "easy" version of a Biggest Loser DVD. I am still so sore I have trouble walking. I just need to keep a variety or I'll get bored and stop. I have also read that the very ACT of exercising alone helps with PCOS. That was a big motivator when I read that.

lori57703 · 10-17-2009, 03:45 PM

Don't lose hope! I conceived my only son in 1992 quite by accident with exercise and weight loss alone. At the time I was recently divorced. I lost 60 pounds in about 4 months by dancing socially 3-4 hours a night, 7 days a week (had to go through a little wild phase).

I stopped taking OCP pill because I thought I could not get pg, since I had tried when I was married, and did not want the artificial hormones if I did not need them. I did not understand PCOS and weight gain/loss or anything at that time. I stopped the OCP and for 9 months had no AF. Then my breast became so sore I could not stand it. I took a home pg test to show my best friend that I was not pg. Much to my surprise it pwas positive. It took 4 pg tests and an ultrasound to convince me that I really was pg. My DS is now 16.

I gained the weight back after my son was born. I remarried and TTC for years. I took metformin briefly but stopped because of the side effects. We also tried Clomid but nothing ever worked. I finally decided I was done TTC and now nearing my 40th birthday am fine with the one child I have. The point is that weight loss and exercise is what gave me the one miricle baby I had! Keep up the efforts, it will be so worth it.

TDoern · 10-17-2009, 03:56 PM

I'm not sure if this 'technically' counts as just weight loss - but I see it as so. Hubby and I tried for 8 years to get pregnant - due to PCOS and serious back problems weight loss was near impossible. I had gastric bypass on December 7, 2007. I was 297 pounds that day - and never had AF on my own, sometimes even provera didn't bring her on. February 08 AF started showing up on her own - I was down 50ish pounds. My surgeon required 2 forms of birth control and we used two until February 09 - then just condoms. Even with condoms (and no accidents) I got pregnant on valentines day and found out on March 6th - completely natural. We did lose our Christopher on July 4th due to incompetent cervix - nothing weight related. We were told to wait 2 full cycles before TTC again - this was the first month to try - and found out on Thursday I'm pregnant again.

I know without the weight loss surgery and weight loss I never would have gotten pregnant. good luck!

JoyannaWants2BaMommy · 10-17-2009, 07:36 PM

i got pg on met and weight loss, but i was at it for a few years before ttc. make sure your on a high enough dose of met, at least 1000 mg, 1500 did it for me. also i was lowcarbing, losing weight or maintaining and exercising on a reg basis, like walking 3-4 times a week. good luck, it can be done, sometimes it just takes a while for met to really get you o'ing on a reg basis.

Andy · 10-17-2009, 07:45 PM

I conceived twice with weight loss and met.
Good luck to you!

Julia Gulia · 10-23-2009, 01:18 PM

I conceived with weight loss and met (and some Sam Adams Boston Lager), and we weren't even trying. I had tried for 3 years with my ex husband and never once got PG, even with IUI, so I didn't think it was going to be so easy. At the time I was really healthy, and taking my met so I think that is what helped.

BekTens · 10-25-2009, 09:35 AM

I conceived with weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

I wasn't on met, but I was taking Insulite instead.

linds24 · 10-25-2009, 11:05 AM

Wow, congratulations everyone!