Clomid - Pregnancy and after the baby

[bree91]

Hi,

I am trying to get some information on peoples experiences with Clomid before i go to my doctor.

I have PCOS and have been trying to loose weight for about a year now but am really struggling. I am tempted to try Clomid but am worried that with the extra weight i have now that i will stay fat during and after the pregnancy.

From what i've been told i can also get gestational diabetes because of my weight. It would be nice to know if the weight is easier to loose while your pregnant or easy to loose after. I am pretty self conscious as it is and would like to avoid depression after having a baby due to weight issues.

Thanks! 

[devilish]

I also have PCOS, and the first time I walked into a fertility clinic; they told me to lose 30 pounds and I would then probably get pregnant with no further help from them. Promptly advise the doctor that I'd already lost 20 pounds, and was working on more. I did not have a lot of faith in that doctor after, and eventually switched to another one because he always made me feel angry, depressed and not worth helping.

The next doctor finally put me on Clomid, the first round (50mg) did not work, and didn't even make a dent in my super long cycle (40 days). Round 2 of clomid (100mg) got me to ovulate on cd 14 (something that hadn't happened since I was a teenager, I'm 32 now) and I am currently 8 weeks pregnant with number 2.

One thing I should mention, if you are eating healthily, and exercising as you should be and still not losing any weight, I would recommend getting your thyroid checked if you can. The solution is a pill every day, but it's a very cheap medication to have, and it will help with the weight loss. I'm currently holding steady at 198 pounds, and plan to restart my exercises after this pregnancy is done and I do take a synthroid pill (thyroid) every day.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.

[MichellyAqua12]

I take Metformin for my PCOS and my extra weight came off very quickly after starting it. It also regulated my cycles. Metformin works by fixing the hormone imbalance that occurs with PCOS. Some women still need Clomid or something similar to ovulate (or at least to improve egg quality), but it's still beneficial to be on Metformin because it can help you respond to Clomid better. It also reduces the risk of miscarriage if you stay on it through the first trimester, and some women choose to stay on it for the entire pregnancy to also reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

I second getting your thyroid checked. It's very common to have both hypothyroidism and PCOS. Make sure you review the results yourself, because many doctors aren't familiar with the new normal range for TSH, which is 0.3-3.0, and for optimal fertility, 1.0-2.0 is best (so it won't go above 2.5 when pregnant). An RE should know all that, but an OB/GYN most likely won't (not sure what type of doctor you're seeing). It's also good to have free T4, free T3, and thyroid antibodies tested too. The free T's will give you a better picture of how your thyroid is actually functioning, and the antibodies will tell you if it's autoimmune (Hashimoto's).

[bree91]

I had my thyroid tested when they were initially testing me for PCOS and they said that it was all normal, but thank you, i might get it tested again.

My doctor also put me on Metformin. I have been struggling to take it as i feel nauseous if i am not constantly eating! :( Did either of you feel sick? I know that its supposed to help me but it was hard to stay on when it made me feel like i was eating more then i did before i found out i had PCOS. I know that i am supposed to make healthy choices when i am eating but it made me feel so sick that i was just eating anything i could find every couple of hours. 

I know i have to go back to the doctors but it is nice to see if others had/have similar experiences or advice! 

Thanks!

[MichellyAqua12]

Originally Posted by bree91 

I had my thyroid tested when they were initially testing me for PCOS and they said that it was all normal, but thank you, i might get it tested again.

Get a copy of the results. I know too many people who were told their TSH was normal when it wasn't, just because the doctor didn't know any better. What type of doctor are you seeing?

And yes, it's a good idea to get tested again if you weren't tested recently in case something has changed.

Originally Posted by bree91 

My doctor also put me on Metformin. I have been struggling to take it as i feel nauseous if i am not constantly eating! :( Did either of you feel sick? I know that its supposed to help me but it was hard to stay on when it made me feel like i was eating more then i did before i found out i had PCOS. I know that i am supposed to make healthy choices when i am eating but it made me feel so sick that i was just eating anything i could find every couple of hours.

There's an extended release version that is supposed to have fewer side effects. You should still try to eat small, frequent meals though. That's best for your blood sugar, and it can actually speed up your metabolism too. As long as you watch your calories and choose healthy things (fruit or vegetables with every meal, complex carbs like whole grains, plenty of protein), you shouldn't gain weight even though you're eating more. If you need help planning your meals, you can find lots of sample PCOS diet meal plans online, or you could consult a nutritionist.

Edited by MichellyAqua12 - 4/30/13 at 11:57am

[bree91]

Sorry for the delay... 

update...

i persisted with taking metformin and found out on monday that i am now 6 weeks pregnant!!! So thanks for your help ladies, i wouldn't have taken it without your advice!! 

[glionna]

congrats! is metformin a med or herb?? is it over the counter?? im interested.

[MichellyAqua12]

Congrats!

Quote:

Originally Posted by glionna 

congrats! is metformin a med or herb?? is it over the counter?? im interested.

It's a medication. You need a prescription. It's for diabetes and PCOS.

[pokeyAC]

I took metformin and I don't have diabetes or PCOS, but I do think it helped me get pregnant.  My doctor said it lowers androgen levels and has better success rates than Clomid, but they aren't sure why it works for fertility.  I did lose a little weight when I was on it, but I gained it back after I stopped taking it in the second trimester.  I also noticed that my cravings for carbs and sugar went away, most likely because it balanced out my blood sugar.

Congratulations Bree! 

[oasis84]

Congrats!

I was prescribed metformin (I have thin PCOS) in conjunction with clomid. I took 1500 mg per day of the extended release kind and honestly didn't have any adverse side effects. I only got sick to my stomach or nauseous if I went a long time without eating or if I ate junk food. I def recommend the XR kind. I found, and so have a lot of other women, that sticking to a low-carb diet or just cutting grains and gluten all together (like the paleo diet) really  helped to mitigate the side effects of the metformin and improve the PCOS. I got prego first cycle on both but miscarried and am now trying again. Just my two cents!