I saw my OB/GYN on Wednesday, and I am officially diagnosed with PCOS. She also said that I did have high insulin (it was 16) and did a glucose tolerance test for diabetes, which I don't have. My free testosterone was 12. She didn't seem to think that Metformin would do any good unless/until I had full blown diabetes. That doesn't make sense to me. Is my insulin actually high? How high? If it is high, can someone explain why my Dr. wouldn't prescribe Metformin? It sounded like she would just keep testing my glucose until I had diabetes and THEN prescribe it. Sorry, I am confused. Should I get a 2nd opinion?
Thanks!
Kelly
I saw my OB/GYN on Wednesday, and I am officially diagnosed with PCOS. She also said that I did have high insulin (it was 16) and did a glucose tolerance test for diabetes, which I don't have. My free testosterone was 12. She didn't seem to think that Metformin would do any good unless/until I had full blown diabetes. That doesn't make sense to me. Is my insulin actually high? How high? If it is high, can someone explain why my Dr. wouldn't prescribe Metformin? It sounded like she would just keep testing my glucose until I had diabetes and THEN prescribe it. Sorry, I am confused. Should I get a 2nd opinion?
Thanks!
Kelly
Hi Kelly
I too have pcos but not diabetes but you can still have high levels of glucose and not be a diabetic for example pre- diabetes. If you have high levels if insulin then your cells are becoming resistant which I would think would leave your glucose a little higher than someone who does not have Inuslin resistance.I stared metform 4 days ago for the 1st time.My dr prescribed it tso that i can have regular cycles and help make my cells more sensitive to insulin which in turn lowers the levels and lowers glucose.
From my research I have found that INSULIN RESISTANCE IS A ROOT CAUSE OF PCOS. Metformin is used to lower Insulin resistance
here is some information I found online.PCOS and insulin resistance are frequently found together, which makes it important to understand this common problem.Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the pancreas, a gland in the abdomen with a lot of functions. It is typically secreted in response to a large amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Once produced, insulin causes glucose to be taken into the body cells to be used for energy. Women with PCOS frequently have insulin resistance, meaning their body does not respond as quickly to insulin. The sluggish response will cause larger and larger amounts of insulin to be required before glucose is taken into the body tissues, and eventually a change in the way the body deals with sugar. Consistently high levels of glucose in the blood can lead to diabetes.
metformin increases the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin.(2) Insulin is the hormone that delivers glucose into your cells to be burned as fuel, or stored. Women with PCOS frequently have "insulin resistance", a condition where excessive amounts of insulin are required in order to get blood glucose moved into cells, where it belongs. Glucophage helps your body to transport glucose with relatively less insulin, thus lowering your insulin levels. Chronically high levels of either glucose or insulin in your blood contributes to obesity, heart disease, infertility, and certain cancers, as well as the development of diabetes.
I would get a second opinion.Perhaps see an endocrinologist
I hope this helps, I'm no doctor just my own advocate.
Kelly,
I would definately get a second opinion. I am not diabetic, but my OB put me on Metformin to help with PCOS. I think she did it as a preventative measure too. I was also looking to TTC and lose weight.
Maybe your OB doesn't fully understand PCOS and all of what it includes.
Are you TTC? If so, Metformin is a good thing to start because it has been proven to help with TTC.
__________________ TTC
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Maybe your OB doesn't fully understand PCOS and all of what it includes.
Are you TTC? If so, Metformin is a good thing to start because it has been proven to help with TTC.
Metformin is not considered to be the first-line therapy for TTC w/ pcos.
It's possible that the OP's doctor didn't explain her reasoning well, for not Rx'ing metformin right away, but research suggests that metformin may not be the first line therapy for pcos.
After reading this information consider having a talk with your doctor to see if your particular situation warrants metformin. As you will see - it's not for everyone, and is not 'the pcos drug'.
__________________
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Thank you for all of your input everyone. To clarify, we are not currently TTC, but we will be in 11 months, when I get back from a deployment. I am around 80 pounds overweight, and I know that losing weight is the best "cure" for most obese women with PCOS. From what I've heard, if insulin resistance is hindering my weight loss efforts, Metformin may help with that. My Dr. did offer to prescribe Clomid the moment that I get back on US soil, but I'd really prefer to do what I can with trying to lose weight and lower my insulin so that I ovulate on my own. I know that BCPs help with the acne and hair growth, but do they help with insulin resistance too?
From what I've heard, if insulin resistance is hindering my weight loss efforts, Metformin may help with that.
Typically, the biggest hindrance in weight loss in women with pcos is diet & exercise. Both a healthy, calorie-controlled diet, combined with a MINIMUM of 300 minutes of above-moderate-intensity exercise will produce weight loss, and combat insulin resistance.
Metformin can certainly help even the playing field, but it doesn't turn a 'healthy but not calorie controlled diet' and 'not enough exercise' into significant weight loss.
Can someone explain? 
