I am a thin, 5'8", 110 lbs. cyster
I was diagnosed w/ PCOS when I was 15 in 1994 and on BC until Jan '07 when my husband and I decided to check into it. I was confirmed last August for PCOS and then I started on Metformin 500 then 1000mg/day in Oct. '07. We moved up to 1500mg a day but I was losing my appetited and my doc lowered it to 1000mg every other day. We decided to TTC then, started on Chlomid 50mg but no OV. A new doctor then upped the dose to 100mg Chlomid and I had OV but no pregnancy. She switched me to Letrozol (Femora) at 5mg but I have since no OV. Metformin seems to have lowered my appetite and I am not sure I should continue taking it. Or, should I go for a higher dose of Metformin? The only other side effect is my hot flashes that come after.
Unfortunately, I can't answer your questions, but I wanted to share that I am also thin and have been recently diagnosed with mild PCOS. My OB/GYN also put me on 5 mg Femara and 1000 mg of Metformin (500 mg for first week). I am waiting to start the meds on my next cycle. I'll update if I get any new information.
Btw, do you have the classic PCOS symptoms? Other than the u/s, there were no other clear indicators for me. Best of luck with your treatment!
Hi Indy,
I only have the cystic ovaries and maybe a bit more hair on my chin? More acne than when I'm on the pill. I stopped Met since I felt it wasn't helping (or maybe poisoning me?) and continued on my own with Femara from CD3-7 and must have OV later than CD11-14 and even when I tested just in case for pregnancy, it was negative. However, I just found out I'm 3 weeks pregnant! Thank goodness, bc I was about to go on Chlomid since I thought I'd started AF and went to have a baseline u/s w/ my RE.
__________________ TTC: 10/07 3/21: retry Letrozol (no Met!) 4/15: BFP!!
Me - 29 yrs old Husband (Dream come true!) - 34 yrs. old Married March 11, 2006
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Wow - what wonderful news! Congratulations, tschreck! I'm so happy for you.
Btw, I am on day 12 of Metformin, and it has also caused me to lose my appetite. I feel weak and lethargic all the time. It was even worse on the days I had to also take the Letrozole. At least you have given me some hope!
Btw, do you know why your tests were negative even though you were pregnant? I'm super paranoid about being pregnant while taking the Letrozole due to the risks, so it worries me that you tested negative when you were in fact pregnant. I took a pregnancy test before starting the Letrozole on cd3, but should I worry in the future that a negative may not actually be a negative?
Indy -- Most doctors will do a baseline u/s before you start your Femara. This serves two purposes -- to check your lining/possible cysts, as well as to check for a pg. But if you are really concerned, I'm sure your doctor would allow a blood test, since that is the most reliable way to measure pg.
Sorry about the side effects on Met -- the first couple of months are the worst, but it will get better.
__________________ Laura 34, DH 40 m. 11/2/02 Nessa 3.26.06
Sarah 12.22.08
Wow - what wonderful news! Congratulations, tschreck! I'm so happy for you.
Btw, I am on day 12 of Metformin, and it has also caused me to lose my appetite. I feel weak and lethargic all the time. It was even worse on the days I had to also take the Letrozole. At least you have given me some hope!
Btw, do you know why your tests were negative even though you were pregnant? I'm super paranoid about being pregnant while taking the Letrozole due to the risks, so it worries me that you tested negative when you were in fact pregnant. I took a pregnancy test before starting the Letrozole on cd3, but should I worry in the future that a negative may not actually be a negative?
Congratulations again!
Hi Indy,
My RE thinks I ov'd late on Femara and so when I was testing for ov from CD11-14, it was all negative bc I might not have ov'd until about a week later. I've heard others on this site say that they have ov'd late on Letrozole too. Then, I was sick a few weeks back with a fever/ cough and my DH asked me to take a home PT but it was negative too (too early to detect..but a blood test would have picked up a pregnancy). Anyway, it wasn't until I had my baseline u/s about a week ago before starting my next cycle of Clomid that my RE saw the spot on my uterus, had me take a blood test and that was BFP.
I agree it is good to check in with your RE before starting a cycle of fertility drugs if possible. I took a risk and just took a home PT before starting Femara on my own.
__________________ TTC: 10/07 3/21: retry Letrozol (no Met!) 4/15: BFP!!
Me - 29 yrs old Husband (Dream come true!) - 34 yrs. old Married March 11, 2006
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I have been on Metformin for 2 months, and have had 2 failed Clomid cycles. My doctor said to do a natural cycle (clomid often stays in your system and makes you ovulate the month after taking the drug), and then start letrozole. Does anyone know why Letrozole might be better?
I also took Metformin and Letrozole to get pregnant last year. The combination of the two drugs helped me get pregnant on just the second cycle (I toughed it out on the Metformin alone for months before adding the Letrozole and never ovulated even once). According to my doctor, Letrozole is different because it only suppresses your estrogen level for a few days as opposed to weeks like the Clomid. The benefit of this is that prolonged low estrogen levels can lead to a thin uterine lining and may further complicate the infertility issue by making implantation more difficult. The other benefit to Letrozole (depending on how you choose to look at it) is that the rates of multiples are lower than with Clomid. No matter how much any of us wants a child, there are inherently more risks associated with being pregnant with multiples. I know that a particular medication will not work for every woman with PCOS, but I had great success with the Letrozole and would definitely recommend you try it if the Clomid has failed.
I also took Metformin and Letrozole to get pregnant last year. The combination of the two drugs helped me get pregnant on just the second cycle (I toughed it out on the Metformin alone for months before adding the Letrozole and never ovulated even once). According to my doctor, Letrozole is different because it only suppresses your estrogen level for a few days as opposed to weeks like the Clomid. The benefit of this is that prolonged low estrogen levels can lead to a thin uterine lining and may further complicate the infertility issue by making implantation more difficult. The other benefit to Letrozole (depending on how you choose to look at it) is that the rates of multiples are lower than with Clomid. No matter how much any of us wants a child, there are inherently more risks associated with being pregnant with multiples. I know that a particular medication will not work for every woman with PCOS, but I had great success with the Letrozole and would definitely recommend you try it if the Clomid has failed.
I totally agree Kayp! That is what I learned from my doctor about the benefits of Lectrosol over Clomid. I'm already in my 8th month of pregnancy and so far it's been great. My special combination was to remove metformin. I probably could have gotten pregnant on Clomid since I did OV on that but it just happened I was still trying with Lectrosol and that worked too, and I got pregnant.
Good luck to you Indy! It is all about finding what combination is right for your body to get pregnant.
__________________ TTC: 10/07 3/21: retry Letrozol (no Met!) 4/15: BFP!!
Me - 29 yrs old Husband (Dream come true!) - 34 yrs. old Married March 11, 2006
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Studies have determined that Letrozole works better in thin PCOS women than Clomid. There is an article - you can google Jarrett Fertility, it is so interesting. I did 1 round of Clomid and there was nothing, no follicles, no ovulation. Last month we did Letrozole and Femara and I had two great follicles and we triggered ovulation. My husband and I tried it on our own without an IUI but no preggo so this month we are doing it again with the IUI. Definitely more progress than Clomid. Good luck!
Wow, you guys really opened up my eyes here. Not sure why my doctor didn't bother telling me the difference between Letrozole and Clomid! I'm now much less hesitant to stray from Clomid. Clomid worked for me first time around in my first pregnancy, so part of me thought that would be the answer the second time around as well!
i am on my 3rd month of met 1000mg & just finished up 1st round letroz. 5mg. we are praying for a positive+++++! last month had diathermy & lap-1st time in my life this month had a full 7 day period! WOW! normally its so light (almost non-existing). i love hearing stories of success-keep 'em coming!!
On Metformin and Letrozol 
