Can you be prescribed Metformin without being TTC or diabetic? I have PCOS

[Sunshine4me]

I have PCOS but am not TTC right now. I want to lose weight and get my periods more regular being ttc. Metformin is really good at helping that out as well as lowering testosterone which is what I need. I am going to the OBGYN next week. Can and will they prescribe it without ttc?

[lifeguard]

They may depending on the doctor, but many would not, they would rather give you a bcp to regulate your cycles. FWIW - metformin does help some people with weight loss but not everyone & the help at that is fairly minimal & the side effects can be rather nasty (I had diarrhea bad enough I didn't want to leave the house many days & I still could not lose weight).

[babygirlie]

I guess I would ask what type of pcos do you have and who is caring for you with it. I have pcos - insulin resistance. My regular doctor doesn't know how to deal with pcos and I don't recall my obgyn saying much about it. My reproductive endo knows about it though and I make a special visit to him for my metformin. I am not seeing him to get pregnant though I would like to be in the future if I can lose some weight. I don't feel comfortable having a child at this weight.  He knows how to take blood and read it specifically for insulin resistance since that's a key factor in infertility.

Metformin does not make me lose weight btw,. Metformin did make me fertile though!

Short story. 9-10 years no kids. 5 rounds of failed clomid. 4 months of metformin and I was pregnant with nothing else (including weight loss). I did end up having pre-e and GD during my pregnancy though and I took it through the entire pregnancy (I was terrified of miscarraige).

[monkeyscience]

Yes, an OB/GYN definitely can prescribe metformin for PCOS, and some definitely will. Mine did. Metformin can help with a whole host of risks associated with PCOS, so some docs recommend it for all the time, not just TTC. After two attempts, I personally couldn't tolerate the metformin. It never gave me diarrhea, the most common complaint, but it did give me horrific headaches and near-constant nausea. I think some of this may have to do with the fact that I am normal weight, though.

If your OB/GYN won't prescribe metformin, you can probably find one who will. Look for a doc that either a.) Seems to be up-to-date with more recent research, or b.) States that they specialize in PCOS - not all such docs are REs.