A young woman under metformin treatment for PCOS...how long until I begin ovulating?

Question

My doctor recommended metformin to treat what he thought were signs of PCOS. I was on a steroid medication throughout my childhood to treat my asthma, and it wreaked havoc on my endocrine system.

Now I'm trying to get pregnant. I wanted to know...as a young woman who didn't show alarming signs of severe PCOS...how long after beginning metformin treatment can I expect to ovulate like normal?

I'll take any information you have...online, personal experience...anything. I'm desperate...and everytime I ask my doctor, she avoids the question with something anecdotal.

Answer 1

No one can really tell you how long it will take (probably why your doctor wont answer you). The 'official" answer is that it can take up to 6 months on the correct dose before you start to have results. However, if you are on the right dose, you should notice improvement within the first couple months. I got pregnant with metformin after 3 months. If you don't notice improvement in your symptoms after 2 or 3 months...ask your doctor for a higher dose.

It sounds like you are on the right track. The good news is that you will probably get pregnant. Here's some PCOS info and links. Good luck.

I recommend seeing a reproductive endocrinologist. They are generally more knowledgeable about PCOS and the correct treatment. Unfortunately, many doctors are not aware of the proper treatment.

The underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance (IR). The best treatment for PCOS is going on an insulin sensitizing drug such as metformin (1500-2550mg per day) combined with a low carb diet and exercise. There are a few important things to know:

1. Many women "pass" the test for IR, but still respond positively from the metformin. No one knows exactlly why..my thought is that the test is not a sure fire way of detecting the IR.

2. You must be on a high enough dose of metformin. I've heard women complain that their bodies dont start working even though they've been on metformin for awhile. Some doctors are hesitant to up the dose past 1500mg...but for some of us it takes more. I don't respond until my dose is around 2000mg a day.

3. It can take a few months on the correct dose, before your body is regulated.

4. It is important to treat your PCOS even if you are not trying to get pregnant. There are higher risks for many things (high blood pressure, blood clots, diabetes, and many other things) when you have PCOS, but if it is treated properly, then those risks are lowered.


When the PCOS is treated properly, all of your symptoms may not disappear, but they should improve some. It will also be a lot easier to lose weight (and keep it off). Our bodies work against us when we try to lose weight on our own, making it nearly impossible to lose weight.

There are TONS of books about PCOS and dieting. There are two that I recommend. Here's the links at amazon for those:
http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0809224275/...
http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0007131844/...

I also recommend a couple web sites:
http://pcos.itgo.com/
http://www.inciid.org/faq.php?cat=infert...

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bhp... This one is a great message board where you can ask all your PCOS questions or just chat with the women who are also dealing with PCOS. Good luck.

Answer 2

HI...I was on metformin to get pregnant with both my children due to annovulation because I have PCOS too! I was on the metformin for about 2 months and nothing happened (well nasty stomach side effects happened!!) so my doctor put me on Clomid and I got pregnant the next month! When we were ready to have another child I went back on the metformin and it took about 4 months before any type of cycle came back. We kept trying with just the metformin but eventually I went back on the clomid again and got pregnant 4 months later. Good luck!

Answer 3

Talk to your doctor about Clomid. Just remember that went you get off your metformin you could have cysts caused by PCOS.