Continuing Metformin while pregnant?

Huiching · 01-13-2008, 02:36 AM

I think I lost my baby because I stopped met, even though I was only on 500mg. My gynae told me there wasnt any point in taking it when i got a BFP. What should I do the next time round, if there is a next time?

uwalcott · 01-13-2008, 03:30 PM

You should definitely not blame yourself for the loss of your baby. But I do understand your desire to continue the Met. I continued it on my second pregnancy thinking that that would prevent a loss (because I had threatened miscarriage with my first child Elisa, and I had stopped the Met with her). Even though I continued it I still lost the second baby due to a chromosomal abnormality. I guess you didn't have testing done? Met can't prevent miscarriage in all cases, but there is some evidence that it can help with avoiding early pregnancy loss in women pregnant with babies with normal chromosomes. The fact is most miscarriages happen b/c the baby has a genetic problem. But I still would continue it next time, maybe just in the first trimester. THat is what I plan to do next time I get pg.

See I said that all hopeful like! Hehe.

I'm sorry for your loss and I wish you the best of luck TTC again.

Huiching · 01-13-2008, 10:25 PM

Thank you! I think I will stay on met till at least 12 weeks next time. I wish you the very best of luck too

Licsh · 01-13-2008, 11:58 PM

My doc wants me to go off the met when I get pregnant again. Not a chance. I was on it until 8 weeks with DS and not on it for either m/c. I don't know if it's related but I am not willing to take the chance based on some of the research I have read about met and PCOS. I will continue to take it and not tell her if I have to. I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope you get a sticky BFP soon.

foreverd · 01-14-2008, 01:24 PM

With my dd ..I stayed on Met till 14 weeks then they took me off of it....

same with this pregnancy but it didn't stop the m/c.......

From what I have read.....Met decreases chances of m/c in women with pcos.......my RE wanted me on it and my ob/gyn conceded......

danibell · 01-14-2008, 06:22 PM

Similar to foreverd, I was on it for the first 11 wks with my dd. I wasn't on it with my first loss (I suspect it may have been the cause of the m/c altho I'll never know), and WAS on it with my second loss. But with my second we saw a heartbeat one day, and 3 days later the heart stopped, which indicates a genetic or chromosomal problem and not something I did/didn't do.

Do NOT blame yourself, I fell into that trap with my first loss and it's a hard hole to dig back out of. I realize now that, altho I have suspicions, I will never know and I can't carry that grief or guilt around with me forever. So, I had to let it go, knowing I'll never know for sure what happened.

My plans with my second loss was to continue to 12 wks. My RE recommended 8 wks but, for peace of mind, I renewed my prescription and planned to take until 12 wks. I will do the same with my next pregnancy too.

Ob's are great, at being obgyn's. But they are not always up to date on the latest fertility information, nor the latest medications for specific problems (like pcos). While my ob informed me that the met (or lack of), didn't have any correlation to my first loss, he said there's no proof it prevents a m/c...my RE states it IS shown to prevent early loss for pcos patients. He also prescribed baby aspirin a day, which my ob didn't understand either. BUT my RE's job is to keep current on the latest studies for this typ eof thing, while my ob's job is to keep current on the latest studies to get me thru pregnancy and childbirth! There's a difference there in specialties.

Huiching · 01-15-2008, 08:08 AM

We did see the heartbeat at 7 wks, we were so amazed with the tiny flashing bean in the sac on the u/s. Exactly a week later, there just wasnt anything. Does that means its a genetic/chromosome defect, and taking met would not have prevented the m/c?

foreverd · 01-15-2008, 10:19 AM

we also saw the heartbeat......114bpm......then apparantly a week or so later the baby died......when we went back for the u/s there was no heartbeat.......

My RE said that it was very likely that the embryo had not developed properly due to chromosome issues......

With us ...from the get go the sac was developing a week behind and the RE was very hesitant to tell us it was ok...since we know the dates if the iui etc........but there is always a glimmer of hope until....kwim......

if it is developing abnormally.....taking or not taking met wouldn't have made a difference ......at least that's my opinion.........

Please try not to blame yourself for anything you did or didn't do........otherwise it will be a neverending cycle of self hurt........I can think of a dozen things that maybe I could have done better...but the outcome would have been the same.......

danibell · 01-15-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huiching

We did see the heartbeat at 7 wks, we were so amazed with the tiny flashing bean in the sac on the u/s. Exactly a week later, there just wasnt anything. Does that means its a genetic/chromosome defect, and taking met would not have prevented the m/c?

It's doesn't gaurantee,without testing, that it was a chromosomal problem, but the chances are fairly high that it was. Once the heartbeat is seen there's almost a 99% chance of the pregnancy continueing onto the end, but when it just stops shortly after it starts, it really indicates there's a problem with the baby itself (I refuse to call it a fetus, it's a baby to me), and that there's not much anyone could do to prevent it dying in utero.

It doesn't make it much easier to know, I know, but do know the odds of it happening again are much slimmer than before. About 1 in 10 women will experience a m/c in their child bearing years (many without realizing it, it will be so early). After you have one, the odds drop to about 1 in 36 I think is what I read?? Some thing like that. I think that's why they don't do genetic testing until the 3rd m/c, because the odds of that happening are so slim!!

for myself, with two kids already, chances are it's not an actual genetic condition dh or I carry, it was just a fluke, a freak of nature, an accident, and I'm praying that my next baby will go to term!

Good luck to you hun!

foreverd · 01-15-2008, 04:30 PM

danibell...you are so right......from the moment that BFP arrives 'it's" a baby....and no one could convince me otherwise.....

all we can do is not let hope die and keep trying........

I wrote a letter to my little bean and placed all the u/s I had and placed it in an envelope in my journal.........

Danger Kitty · 01-15-2008, 04:35 PM

For what it's worth, my IVF RE wanted me to stay on met (and baby aspirin) through the end of my first trimester. Then, I "graduated" to a high-risk ob, who told me to stay on both through the remainder of my pregnancy.

We tried for a LONG time without ever getting pregnant, including multiple cycles of oral, then injectable meds. We FINALLY received a BFP on our 2nd IVF cycle - by that point, I was willing to do any little thing that could improve our odds, and I'm now a mere 7 weeks away from my scheduled c-section (mandatory due to risk of rupture - a different story for a different thread).

As my IVF RE put it, "some people think that staying on met and taking aspirin are nothing more than witch doctor hoo-doo, but it's witch doctor hoo-doo that can't hurt, and will very likely help". Count me in as a believer in his witch doctor hoo-doo. . . .

Huiching · 01-16-2008, 05:34 AM

Thank you all, u ladies r the best. Mwa! I can't wait to start TTC again and follow all the good advice I'm getting..

YES, once it's a BFP, its a baby, no questions abt that!

jackie_h1 · 01-23-2008, 01:43 PM

I took MET thru week 35 with DD #2, and thru week 28 with DD#3.

I was in a research study in 2001 with Dr. Glueck. I'm very happy I stayed on the MET & just didn't take any chances. I think most OB's want you to remain on it thru 1st trimester, some longer.

Do your research. Google Dr. Glueck & see all of his research studies.

Blessings,