ww3Td: metformin and clomid (long)

ec0983

i've been on metformin since september, although this is only my 2nd full cycle on it.  i started the met halfway through one cycle, O'd, and had a 6 day LP.  next cycle, i had my lap, so i never confirmed O before AF showed, although my chart makes it look like i may have.  now i'm on cd39 of the following cycle with no O in sight.  

RE ran cd22 b/w this cycle which showed i was annov, so i requested we re-run it when my chart confirms O, but they insisted i do it cd29.  came back annov again (no sh!t).  i have a history of short lp's which is one of the reasons they ran the day 22 b/w, and i am very concerned that low progesterone will be an issue once i do manage to O.

my baseline testosterone before met was 87.  at the beginning of this cycle (early january), it was down to 32, so the met IS doing SOMETHING, just not what i want it to, which is to make me O at a decent point in my cycle.

the RE wants to start me on provera on monday so i can get my first clomid + met cycle started right away.  i'm not convinced i shouldn't let this cycle run to 60 days to see if i do manage to O w/ just the met, and then try for one more cycle just met before starting clomid.  but, then i worry about my LP, and i know clomid helps with that.  i feel totally, totally lost.  any advice is welcome.  i'm sorry this ended up so long.

eta: title clarity 

Shayliz

Metformin really shouldn't be vs Clomid.. they are used for different reasons. Metformin didn't do anything to help my O, but it has helped my PCOS symptoms and my Insulin Resistance.  I would not drop Metformin in favor of Clomid, instead -take them together if you choose to go on Clomid. 

If you want to wait until CD60 to start Provera, that is a valid thing - especially since your body could still be adjusting to meds, the lap, etc.  

ec0983

fair point, i should have worded it differently.  i would not stop taking the met once i do a clomid cycle.  i guess my question is, should i jump into a clomid cycle right away, or give my body another cycle to regulate and try to O with just the met?

kellydNC

I was doing the met only thing for about 3 months, before starting Femara this cycle.  My RE said that he recommended moving ahead with Femara or Clomid (though is preference, and mine, was Femara) for several reasons: 1) Met was helping my testosterone levels go down to nearly normal and was helping shorten my cycles some, but it wasn't helping my LP lengthen and he felt it wasn't helping me produce a better/stronger O, and 2) he said that Met alone had a slighty better pregnancy rate for women with PCOS than no met, but the live birth rate was much better for Met + clomid/femara, and that's obviously what we are more concerned about.  I guess this comes back to egg quality.  GL to you with whatever you decide!  

melissagallo13

I also am taking metformin with clomid. My fertility specialist said that the metformin is to help with the insulin resistance, while the clomid is to help produce viable eggs. I agree with taking them both together. In my third cycle taking both metformin and clomid, I ovulated for the first time. Best of Luck!

ec0983

thank you so much girls, this was exactly the information i was looking for!  i hope the combos work for all of you as well.