IR and thin?

ttara123 · 01-07-2008, 08:04 PM

I'm fairly thin (5'7" and 135 lbs) but my old endo says I'm insulin resistant. He said I should be super overweight. Was he just stupid? or am I? Maybe I don't understand IR completely, because I don't understand how you can be IR and not have a weight problem. Although I try to eat healthy, I'd be lying if I said I don't eat my fair share of crap.

I was on Met for a while, but while I was on it my weight didn't change - if anything it went up (but this was also at the beginning of college, so I know my eating habits were to blame for weight gain, because I ate horribly that year! I lived right next to a chinese takeout restaurant!). Nothing really changed on Met - not my excess hair, not my periods, nothing changed at all!

Sarahkate · 01-08-2008, 10:44 PM

Hi - I'm the same way and it runs in my fam too. I'm 5'8 and 125lb soaking wet. While I'm not complaining - it can be tricky to maintain a healthy weight. I was also on Metformin and found I gained a few pounds. I'm ttc and while it didn't solve that problem yet, my cycles are finally normal now after only 2 months! Good luck to you!

TrishainAZ · 01-11-2008, 04:35 PM

I suspect I am IR but was never tested as my doc says the tests can be unreliable. I'm holding onto about 10-12 postpartum lbs (its been less than a month), but am normally 112 and 5'4.5" Met has worked wonderfully for me and I also have the dark patches on my elbows which I suspect is AN (athro..something?) I think its rare to be both IR and thin, but I do think its possible.

CAheather · 01-16-2008, 01:59 AM

I definitely have some blood sugar issues happening (I crash and get very hypoglycemic if I don't restrict my eating to things low on the glycemic index) and I'm likely IR, but I'm 5'9" and 135 lbs. I am trying to get it under control through diet and exercise, but if I test IR when I go back to the doctor in 4 months for bloodwork, I'm going to have to get on Met.

Trisha, congrats on the brand-new babe!

adorkable · 01-25-2008, 04:36 AM

I have never been tested, but I have been suspicious for a few years, even before being diagnosed with PCOS. I just have a lot of the symptoms, but I have been skinny my whole life. The only place I do have excess fat, though, is around the middle. There's no fat on my arms or legs.

Today I had an appointment with my gynecologist to talk about switching from BCP to Metformin. I don't want to stay on BCP for much longer because my husband and I want to start TTC again later this year after we move to Japan. We were TTC when I was diagnosed. She said she was hesitant to start me on Metformin because I am thin and have never been tested for IR, but she put me on a very low dose anyway.

I really hope it will help, but from what she said, I'm a little nervous that it won't help out with any of my symptoms and I'll be stuck on BCP forever. I've read that not many women have had luck with Chlomid.

I really do need to go get tested for IR.

stacey88 · 01-25-2008, 04:59 AM

i am getting my IR test on tuesday this coming week.(oh what a fun 2 hours that shall be) :S

i am really thin and the only weight i ever carry is around my middle, and even then its nothing.
i have only ever had bloodwork and prick tests done to determine if i am IR or not because my drs have always dismissed it because i am so thin.
my dr also wont prescribe me met because of this fact, even though i am TTC and it might regulate me a little.
guess we will find out on tuesday.
i ahve friends who are IR (mainly guys though) who are all thin...none of the girls have PCOS though.
i didnt even know PCOS was possible in thin women.

Renee08 · 01-28-2008, 03:11 AM

My doctor said she didn't even want to test me for IR because I'm thin and don't "look" like I would be IR. I am not on Met right now but just trying to control the symptoms and avoid BCP.

If we are not IR, but we have PCOS, does modifying our diet help? I am so confused b/c I thought the main source of people with PCOS was being insulin resistant. I was just dx earlier this month after being on the pill since puberty! Actually, the reason I was put on was b/c I had my period for 8 weeks, then nothing for months, plus acne....which in hindsight, was possibly an early sign.

So is it possible to be thin and insulin-resistant and have PCOS? Everything I read on the topic talks about the overweight PCOS-ers.

adorkable · 01-29-2008, 02:25 AM

Renee, I am just as confused about it all as you are. I've read a number of things saying Metformin is now being used as a PCOS treatment even in women who aren't IR. I guess maybe not so much in thin women who aren't IR? I don't know.

What I do know, however, is that after a five days of being on a low dose of Met, I am experiencing fewer IR symptoms. This could be wishful thinking, but I haven't really had any new pimples show up either, and my skin is usually really bad. I have a weakness for macaroni and cheese, and normally after eating anything high carb, mac n chz especially, I get extremely tired. Tonight I scarfed down a whole pot to myself and never felt even the slightest bit tired!

So far I haven't experienced any stomach problems, but in a few days I start taking 250mg in the morning with breakfast as well, so that may bring it on.

hkgrl7 · 01-29-2008, 04:33 AM

Hi, I'm thin 5'7 120 (pre-pregnancy) and I'm definitely IR (been tested). I take metformin which has helped me SO much. I credit it in getting me pregnant because I wasn't ovulating at all before! I will say that while I'm not overweight, my weight does fluctuate in my mid-section...I stay on a low GI diet and met which keeps everything pretty steady.
For some reason, a lot of doctors won't test thin women with PCOS for IR. I think it's a lot more common than they think...

Renee08 · 01-30-2008, 07:15 AM

Thanks for your insight adorkable (cute name by the way!

) and hkgrl7. At least I know now that it IS possible to be IR and thin even if the docs wont test.

I am a personal trainer so I have always watched what I ate and exercise almost daily - I have been in sports since about age 11 and maintain an active lifestlye. However...on those occassions where I am not so strict on myself, (such as vacations or holidays), I gain weight VERY easily! I definitely don't believe in calorie restriction or making yourself starve - but I already follow a healthy diet regimen (out of profession!) and I am educated in how to eat correctly....so it has always been strange to me about how quickly I can put pack on the pounds! I also get light-headed and dizzy when I am hungry (irritable too - but doesn't everyone?

)- even had a few episodes of fainting when I was a teen (before the BCP). Looking back on my history - it all seems to make sense now. I think that being on the BCP pill for so long masked everything and I have only been off it for six months now.

Sorry this is so long - I am just piecing things together and it helps to bounce this off others that are in the same situation.

Adorkable - I am glad that Met is working for you so far! Please keep me posted on how it goes and if you have GI probs. Hkgrl - congrats on the pregnancy!!!

I am so happy for you! Wooohooo!!!

Annikool · 02-03-2008, 08:07 PM

hey guys, just wanted to add some more input-

i too am thin with PCOS, 5'10" and 135lbs, 100% scandinavian. never thought i would be insulin resistant, since there is no diabetes or anything in my family. i havent ever actually been tested for IR, and next time i see my endo i will insist on it, even tho she says that the treatment (ie metformin) works whether or not you actually have IR, and that i probably have it. and its true that for me, metformin and spironolactone have helped my acne and hirsutism tremendously.

i have always felt out of place in the PCOS world, being thin and all, but my endo told me they are discovering that there are 2 main types: one is often obese with a lot of irregularity issues but not as much acne/hair problems, and the other is thin and pretty regular but with more acne and hair problems (like me). anybody else notice this trend? i still want to know if i am actually IR because i believe it may make a difference in my health later on, but i dont really know what to think about it in regards to treatment. i know exercising and cutting out excess sugar and carbs does help things (but dont forget to eat good carbs! your brain alone needs 600 calories in carbs each day just to function properly!)

i dont like being on so many meds (metformin, spironolactone, and various BCPs) but i am scared to go off any of them in case my problems return. anyone know what the minimum meds and doses are for effectiveness? also i have dealt with depression, from moderate to severe, ever since adolescence without knowing why, and am finally able to explain it some with my PCOS diagnosis. i dont think it will ever fully go away but it feels good to have a reason for it! i have had a lot of dizziness too. it is comforting to put all the pieces together after so many years of frustrating confusion. is any of this common with anyone else?

by the way, i just had a physical, and the nurse practioner, an older lady, told me she too has PCOS, and that she thinks that approximately 1 in 4 women now have it, in some form. that is hard to believe but it makes me feel better that we are not alone.

thanks, good luck to everyone battling this crazy disease.

purplefreak · 02-05-2008, 11:52 AM

Hi Girls, Just wanted to join in here as I am also a thin cyster and am very curious about whether or not I am IR. I have been fobbed off by my GP, nurses, Fertility specialists etc. I am 29, diagnosed at 26. Have been through clomid, injectibles and IUI all to no avail, only ovulated three times and have only had lining thicken up to 6.5mm. I am annoyed that nobody is taking me seriously about checking for glucose intolerance as I believe from your stories that met might be beneficial for me. I am 112 ibs and 5'4.5". Everyone calls me 'tiny' and 'skinny'. I exercise three to four times a week (not religiously) and eat healthily a lot of the time but do enjoy cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate - something nice every day.
I finally got the doc to to a fasting glucose test this am so will get results in four to five days. I am dying to know if they will give me met.
Can any other thin cysters tell me what kind of symptoms they experienced before being prescribed met and if there are any tell-tale signs immediately after fasting glucose test, such as enormous energy rush? Thanks for your help. I love this site

Rose28 · 02-05-2008, 11:59 AM

I must be IR, although I've never been tested. I'm 115lbs and 5'4" but any extra weight that I do have sits at my stomach which is a sign of IR. I also have a dark patch on my right side, over my rib cage. When I eat well or exercise I see a huge difference in my periods, I really feel a difference using supplements as well.

CAheather · 02-06-2008, 04:04 AM

Annicool, I never really thought about it that way, but I certainly fit that description - fairly thin, periods pretty normal, but with the acne and certainly the hair issues.

purplefreak · 02-06-2008, 08:16 AM

I am the same Rose28 - any extra weight sits around my stomach which looks awful cos I am so skinny on top.
Has anyone tried reflexology?