New member TTC#2-met questions

springtime · 02-10-2008, 09:11 PM

Hello. I am 30 years old and live outside of Los Angeles. I was diagnosed with non-IR PCOS about 4 years ago. I do have a 2 year-old son who was conceived by using Follistim injections and back-to-back IUIs. Clomid never worked for me.

I have always been thin and have gotten strange looks from people when I tell them I have PCOS because I am not what they expect. I was so happy to find this group in order to share with others in my situation. Most of the information I have found out there is for IR PCOS with people suffering from obesity.

Well, I have finally convinced my husband to try for a second child. Not so easy because I was a wreck the first time around. I plan on finishing my last pack of BCP in about a week. I have been on BCP since the age of 16 to regulate my cycles.This time around, I don't want to be invasive too quickly due to the cost and emotional/physical aspects. I have heard about MET for non-IR PCOS. Actually, I have the following questions for the group:

1. Does MET really work for non-IR PCOS and if so, how long does it take to work?
2. How much MET (mg) is typical and how much does it cost?
3. Are there other treatments that others have found to be successful?
4. Have you ever heard of some women becoming "normal" after having their first?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to ask me any questions as I really want to help others as well.

Thanks!

Tummy · 02-10-2008, 10:07 PM

Hi, Springtime. The literature used to be really supportive of non-IR PCOSers getting help from met. Newer studies seem to be less so, but the jury is still out. I don't get any "help" from it in terms of regulating my cycle or Oing, but I'm on it anyway just because I figure it can't hurt.

Normal dose is usually 1500-2000 mg. I dont' know about cost (insurance pays).

Other treatments in terms of non-fertility drugs? Not sure about that. Some people take cinnamon, which is supposed to help with IR. I'm on femara to get me to ovulate, which I love (though no BFP yet).

I get the impression that PCOS never goes away... sometimes you can trick your hormones briefly (like I would have a single rebound O the month after I stopped BCPs), but I think once you have it you always have it.

Join one of the TTC threads and you can see all the different things cysters are doing to get pg!

sheepiegirl · 02-11-2008, 02:41 PM

Hi Springtime! Welcome!

Here's my take on Met--

I'm not IR and was given Met (1500 and 2000mg) and I never ovulated on it. I was on it from Nov 06-Nov 07 (although I was already pregnant for part of it, but from Nov-Aug, I didn't ovulate, so that's a good 9-10 months of taking it without seeing any results (although I didn't have bloodwork done to see if it was affecting my hormones). I've heard the same as Tummy that there is conflicting evidence of Met's affect on non Ir thin PCOS.

So...

1. I took 1500 and 2000 (regular, then ER) and it didn't work (unless it all of a sudden did when it was upped to 2000 and that's what got me pg. I'll never know though, if it was the Met, the Clomid, the combo, or random luck.

2. I've heard 1500-2000 is typical, with 1500 being the lowest effective dose (although others are on less and do fine). For me, a month's supply was I think $8 or something like that. Really cheap.

3. Lots of people use lots of methods. For me, all I did was use the Met and the Clomid, so I have no other personal experience.

4. I've heard that some women get more normal with their PCOS after having a kid, and some women get worse, some stay the same. It seems to be an individual factor. I would think, though, that if your kid is 2 you'd have already have been affected if you were going to (if it was related to getting better from pregnancy).

Good luck! There's lots of info around and everyone's really nice...

springtime · 02-11-2008, 04:20 PM

Thank you very much for all your help. I really do appreciate it. Tummy, I am sending you tons and tons of luck. Sheepiegirl, congrats!!

AHoff01 · 02-13-2008, 11:09 AM

Met is on the cheap prescription list at Wal-Mart. You can get a month's supply for $4!!!

I've been on Met ER (1000 mg) since Oct. In Dec, I got AF on my own, but that's it. I'm not sure if I'm O'ing or not. Just started temping in Dec, so hopefully that will give me a little more info. I'm going to give it a few more months at 1000 mg and if it doesn't help regulate me, I'm going to ask to be bumped up to 1500 mg.

Good luck!

explora · 02-13-2008, 11:32 AM

Springtime,
I am IR-PCOS and thin and get the same response from people. They can not imagine that I am IR and not overweight. I exercise and diet to control my symptoms. My first child was succesfully concieved and delivered full term after a few years and a lot of heartache. My second was concieved IMMEDIATLY after (they were born 41 weeks apart). My point is that horemones can be "normal" after your first child is born, even if it is brief.

So, to answer your questions:

1. Does MET really work for non-IR PCOS and if so, how long does it take to work?

It worked for me. 1500mg/day. For me it started to regulate my cycles in about 6 weeks.

2. How much MET (mg) is typical and how much does it cost?

Cheap meds., go to Wal-Mart!

3. Are there other treatments that others have found to be successful?

Personally I have tried MANY alternative treatments. Diet (IR diet is what I try to follow) and regular exercise are the only things that have made any real impact.

4. Have you ever heard of some women becoming "normal" after having their first?

I was "normal" very briefly after my first (which is how I came to be pregnant with#2) but after 1 AF everything kind of did a backslide and went back to being "off" again.

Good luck!

Laura

Tabsies2006 · 02-13-2008, 12:53 PM

I'm answering your questions below:

1. Does MET really work for non-IR PCOS and if so, how long does it take to work?

Technically, all women with PCOS have a degree of IR, otherwise their hormones would function correctly. I always tested within the lab limits, but the tests we have are not fine tuned enough to pick up subtle insulin resistance.

I took Glucophage XR for three months. I started out the first month taking 500 mg, and ovulated right away. After that, I took 1000 and my RE and I decided that was the correct dose for me. My periods, which had been somewhat irregular before that (but still regular enough to put me on the cusp of diagnosis) became clockwork 32 days. I became pregnant the third month I was on Glucophage XR-the first time my husband and I really "tried"!

2. How much MET (mg) is typical and how much does it cost?

It's a very cheap drug. My insurance covered it 100%.
3. Are there other treatments that others have found to be successful?
You MUST practice good eating habits. Metformin will not work correctly if you're not eating well.
4. Have you ever heard of some women becoming "normal" after having their first?
For women with polycystic ovaries, there is a "better outcome" noted in the medical literature. Often, that means it is easier to conceive #2, testosterone is lowered, outward symptoms are better. I too, do not look like a typical PCOS patient. I'm thin and blond, so you really don't see my hairs. But after my first son, I no longer had the extra hairs above my lip!

Good luck!

TrishainAZ · 02-13-2008, 11:33 PM

Met works really well for me, but I've never been tested for IR. As far as getting "normal" after having kids... well, I do think you can get a little bit better. The year after I had kids my skin was really good. My periods do seem to be more regular than they were before (although still not perfect... we'll see this time since I just got my first post partum period... I think I ovulated again already so maybe 3rd time was the charm for me?) I think a lot of the improvements have to do with hormones when breastfeeding, but I'm no expert. Mets cheap and pretty unintrusive, so I always say you might as well try it. You can do it while trying other methods, so except from some side effects, I seem no reason not to at least try.

Natalie'smom06 · 02-24-2008, 09:57 PM

HI - Here is my experience as thin, non-IR cyster, TTC

1. Does MET really work for non-IR PCOS and if so, how long does it take to work?
For me I hadn't had a cycle for 4 months and I conceived immediately on it (1st month), I wasn't even up to the full dose 2000 mg.

2. How much MET (mg) is typical and how much does it cost?
Everything I read and my OB recommended 2000mg too. I stayed on 2000mg thru my 1st trimester, then weaned off it over a month. Since its not a fertility drug it should be covered under insurance as any other rx.

3. Are there other treatments that others have found to be successful?
I've only tried Met. But my ob was planning to do 6 mo of clomid after 4 months on Met and no O, or PG, if that didn't work then refer to RE. But never needed to do anything but Met. I'm definitely not assuming because it worked great the 1st time, it'll be the same the 2nd time. I higly recommend temping and charting, you'll really be able to understand your cycles. That is how I got Met in the 1st place, I took 4 months of charts to my OB, and she could tell I hadn't been o'ing. I had even gotten AF a couple times, but she said my temps weren't high enough to have O'd - just an effect from coming off long term BCP.

4. Have you ever heard of some women becoming "normal" after having their first?
I was the same as before, I assume, I never gave myself a chance really to see what would happen. I just knew what happens to be if I'm not on BCP or Met (hair growth, acne mostly), after having my DD. I opted not to breast feed for very long and jumped back into bcp after about 3 months.