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Sophie (Dayton, Ohio, Usa) on 11/07/2012

Hi Earth Clinic, this is Sophie again. I promised to update you on my PCOS situation, so here it is: I had a transvaginal ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts and also full bloodwork to look at my hormone levels, blood glucose, etc. I just got the results today. BOTH tests came back normal. I do not have cysts and my testosterone levels are normal. HOWEVER, my doctor, who is excellent, said that a lot of times you can have PCOS and still come back normal on all the tests. It's a disease of varying degrees... Some people have it worse than others. Because I am experiencing all the classic PCOS symptoms (facial, chest & foot hair; thinning hair; easy weight gain and difficult weight loss; long intervals between periods; ovulation pain) he is putting me on Metformin. PCOS is primarily a problem of insulin resistance. Your body makes enough insulin, but cannot use it efficiently. This causes your hormones to get out of balance, slows your metabolism, and causes the weight gain.

I have so far been treating myself by going completely grain free and eating a low-glycemic, high-protein diet. My doctor agreed with me that it was the best way to eat for PCOS. I am also upping my intake of oily fish again (although I already eat a lot! ). I have not started the Metformin yet, but my plan is to use it for a short time just to "reset" my system so that my body becomes more receptive to the insulin and I can lose the weight. Unless I get down to a normal weight, the PCOS will continue to progress, because fat causes the insulin resistance to get worse and affects hormone production. I am supposed to re-evaluate my situation with the doctor in January.

The decision to use the Metformin has been a difficult one, because it seems to me that PCOS should be easy to manage with proper diet and exercise. I hate taking any kind of medication. But truthfully, I do not see being able to lose the necessary weight in a reasonable amount of time just doing it on my own. I am fighting an uphill battle, as I have been eating right and exercising for 2 years without success. So I am going to take a very low dose of Metformin just until I can get myself on the right track. Then I am confident that my low-glycemic, high-protein diet plus daily exercise will be enough to keep my PCOS under control.

Has anyone out there with PCOS taken Metformin? What were your experiences? Were you able to stop taking it and manage your PCOS naturally?

Also, I am not trying to get pregnant, so that does make a little difference. I don't mind if my fertility is not restored, I am mostly concerned about the possibility of the PCOS progressing and leading to diabetes and heart disease, which is common with PCOS.

Thank you everyone on Earth Clinic! I appreciate all your wonderful advice and support, and I welcome your suggestions.

REPLY         

Replied By Trish (Trinidad And Tobago) on 04/29/2015

Hello, I used metformin 3 times a day 500g for almost 9 months. it made me dizzy sometimes and also I had frequent bowel movements

However, the main side effect was that it caused severe lactic acid built up in my body which resulted in severe cramps and muscle pain so that my body was in intense pain to the extent I had to be hospitalized and treated with quantitites of ibruprophen to dilute the acid.

REPLY         

Replied By Malissa (IN) on 08/12/2021

I was told I had PCOS/ insulin resistance. The doctor told me that I needed to go on MetFormin due to the Insulin problem. I told him I did not want to be on any prescription medicine I will do my own research. I went home and started researching natural alternatives for MetFormin. Berberine is an all-natural supplement in place of MetFormin. Works amazing. Also Myo Inositol and D Chiro Inositol, Sea moss gel, and Black seed oil have all worked wonders for me too hope this helps.