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Would this be a terrible Idea? RE: Metformin

AuburnBride06AuburnBride06
in Infertility

So, my RE is not going to Rx me metformin. He just doesn't use it. Period.  Switching doctors isn't really an option. We like him & trust him with everything else. And since there is definitely no guarantee that metformin would be the "fix" we need for this RPL, DH doesn't think we should switch. Besides this met. thing, my RE is great. And I also love my nurses there.

But, I feel that I should do everything  that *might* help, and based on everything I know about PCOS, metformin falls into that category.  So, I thought about it, and what about if I saw my OB/GYN (who I haven't seen in over 2 years--my RE does my annuals) and see if he would Rx me metformin? Would that be a really bad idea?  Of course, my RE would not know unless my OB told him.  My insulin & glucose levels have always been fine. But I'm fat, growing a beard, & I keep losing my babies....I feel like I am in the middle of an ocean and there is a little metformin innertube that if I just swam out a ways, I could get to. That it would be the thing to rescue me from this nightmare that I have been living with everyday for almost 2 years.  I feel like I have been just barely treading water lately. 

WDYT? Bad idea/risky? How long do you need to take met. before it can have effects on sustaining a pregnancy? I should probably be starting provera around Feb 20 so stimming will probably be right at the beginning of march. Would it even be enough time to get the met. in my system?

TIA!!

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Re: Would this be a terrible Idea? RE: Metformin

  • jlh123jlh123 member

    "Of course, my RE would not know unless my OB told him."

    This is where it becomes a bad idea.  Your RE should know all medications you are on.  I know you said switching doctors isn't really an option but if you feel strongly about being on Metformin, I'd at least get a second opinion. 

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  • taraandkyle06taraandkyle06
    it's a bad idea to deceive your RE.  he's not prescribing it to you for a reason and that reason is b/c you are not IR.  Metformin is a medication used to regulate insulin levels and if your levels are fine then the medication is not for you.
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  • adreamisawishyourheartmakesadreamisawishyourheartmakes
    Did he say why he wouldn't gie you metformin?  If you feel that strongly that metformin could help, I probably would get a second opinion from a different RE on the subject.  But that's just what I would do.  I dont know if this helps, but I have PCOS, normal insulin/glucose levels, am not overweight, and just had a miscarriage.  I asked my RE about trying metformin next time and she did not recommend it for me.  But she said if I had abnormal glucose/insulin and/or I was overweight, she would definitely consider prescribing it to me.  Hope this helps at least a little bit!  Best of luck.
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  • AuburnBride06AuburnBride06

    Yea you're right. Especially since he always asks me at my appts. if I am taking any new meds.  DH is more against seeking another opinion than I am.  Doc really thinks that we are having terrible luck and continually tells us not to give up. I just feel so helpless when it comes to keeping my babies around.

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  • SkypekWithoutACSkypekWithoutAC
    I agree with the pp and would like to add that the met definitely wouldn't be in your system in time for a cycle this month. It takes about 3-6 months to become effective. Sorry, but I don't think you should go behind his back. Can you get a 2nd opinion? Or at least tell your current RE exactly how you feel?
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  • AuburnBride06AuburnBride06
    When I spoke to him about it, he said that if he did use it, he wouldn't Rx it for me because he does not believe that it would help in my case.  It sounded like he just doesn't believe that it helps with PCOS PL.  I may ask my nurse more about it and get some clarification on why he doesn't use it.  I am trying to lose weight like he suggested. I just constantly find myself grasping at straws nowadays. 
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  • dusk42dusk42

    Ditto pp. ?A second opinion might help, if you can get one. ?

    Have you tried bringing the medical literature with you to your appointment and having a discussion about why he will not consider metformin? ?Unfortunately, the literature is pretty conflicted on it. ?There were early results that suggested that met could help prevent miscarriages in PCOS patients, but now that they are doing more analyses of more patients, the effect may not actually be there. ?You can read more abstracts of these studies on www.pubmed.gov (search metformin/miscarriage or metformin/abortion). ?

    I'm sorry you are so frustrated. ?:( ?I hope you can get some more satisfying answers soon. ??

    https://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/22/2/623

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18937939?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum?

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  • dusk42dusk42

    PS ?What were the results of your insulin and glucose levels and your glucose tolerance test? ?And what does your doctor consider elevated? I was just wondering since even though testosterone (for example) in women is "normal" (i.e., not a tumor) up to about 86 (don't remember the units), over 50 is considered elevated and may be a sign of PCOS. ?I'm not sure if it is like that for insulin.

    https://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hormonelevels.html?

    Also, there is some data that metformin has effects on women with PCOS and with normal insulin levels, but they studied cardiovascular disease. ?However, there is also data showing that metformin doesn't have an effect in normoinsulemic women. Metformin may have effects on people with normal insulin, but there is not a lot of data on it, which is probably why your doctor doesn't prescribe it. ?Other doctors may prescribe it to women with normal insulin because they are hoping the benefits are greater than the risks. ?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18567896?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16316811?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum?

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