My Eno today told me to take Metformin to help ovulate and protect against resistance needs that spike during my luteal stage. I have been trying for 3 years to conceive, does this sound familiar to anyone? He thinks I might have PCOS.
I don’t have first-hand experience with this, but Metformin is commonly prescribed to women with PCOS, whether they are trying to get pregnant or not. It can help with fertility, but also can reduce insulin resistance (which goes hand in hand with PCOS, unfortunately). PCOS in non-diabetic women very commonly progresses to Type 2. The ADA does have an article about PCOS in diabetics on their website.
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And irrespective of all other considerations, metformin has a rather nice side effect. It lowers the risk of certain cancers, especially in women.
Metformin has also been tied to slight uptick in stem cells which could regenerate blood vessels, which could reduce complications as well. In my opinion, more type 1s should be taking this drug. It’s downsides are relatively mild and its upsides seem to be quite substantial.
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Agree wholeheartedly, I am a self-admitted metformin bigot. It throttles back the liver’s ongoing attempts to raise blood sugar, and that has to be beneficial to any diabetic regardless of type.
Metformin is anti-androgenic, which is why it’s the go-to for women with PCOS, especially those trying to conceive.
I have PCOS and got pregnant in June 2016, without any medication. Shortly after finding out I was pregnant I found out I had diabetes and started on insulin therapy. I miscarried in August and in September I found out I was Type 1 and started on Metformin.
I just found out last week that I am pregnant again, 5w4d, and I am convinced Metformin helped. I did not always ovulate on it alone, some cycles had to be started with Provera, but it helped my resistance tremendously! It also prevents women with PCOS, who typically have a higher chance of miscarriage, from miscarrying.
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I am long time T1D and recently started taking metformin, but not related to PCOS or pregnancy. It has definitely helped reduce meal time spikes and bolus kicks in quicker without my liver working against it. I have reduced total basal and bolus, and even enjoyed some higher carb meals, and handled them better than expected. Took several visits before my md would prescribe.
Thanks to those on here and other posts that led to my persistence.
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What are its downsides?
Many people get digestive side effects. I’m a T1 on 1000mg Metformin ER twice a day, and I haven’t had any, but it’s common. People seem to do better on the ER formulation, and you can start a low dose (500mg a day). Also for some people it just takes a little time to adjust. It can also cause B12 deficiency, so a lot of us who take it get that monitored and/or supplement that.