Anyone taking Metformin? I have Questions!!!

[lila]

Hi ladies!!! I am going in tomorrow for my first u/s for my 2nd ivf. I have been on bcp for 19 days now and will find out tomorrow if I can begin Lupron Wednesday! I just received a call from my nurse that my fasting glucose was slightly elevated and she wants me to begin taking Metformin tonight. I am just wondering if this helps prevent miscarriage, side effects, any info. you have that will be helpful. Thank you for your help!!!

[kellbell]

I don't normally post on this board anymore, but wanted to reply to your post. Do you have PCOS? Metformin has been shown to reduce miscarriage rates in patients that have PCOS. If you do become pregnant from this IVF cycle, you will most likely stay on metformin for at least the first trimester. I have PCOS and have done 3 IVF cycles --2 without metformin and one with. The one that I took it for, I had much better egg/embryo quality with that cycle. They will start you on a small dosage and then increase it slowy to minimize side effects. The first few weeks I did experience some gastrointestinal distress--abdominal cramping, some nausea, some people complain of diarrhea although I've never had this. After a few weeks of being on it, my body adjusted and didnt' have any further problems. HTH and good luck on this IVF cycle!

[lila]

Hi Kellbell, thanks for your response! I don't have pcos but my fasting glucose was elevated at 101. My nurse said it was normal for regular people but not for someone ttc. I don't know if you remember but we were on the same FET thread in July. How are you doing? I hope everything's going well!!!

[tr_j]

lila - i've been on metaformin for 2+ years after the doctor found that i had elevated fasting glucose. they said it could be borderline PCOS, but those increased levels mean that it is affecting your hormone levels which in turn affect ovulation, miscarriage rates, etc. the metaformin is supposed to help regulate the sugars and the hormones so your body (specifically those parts related to baby making in this case) can do its job normally.

my RE upped my dose to 1500 mg when i started my IVF cycle. i figure at this point, its not hurting to take it so why not.

with your MTHFR are you also taking all the extra folic acid and baby aspirin? i have to do that as well - needless to say, the pill regimin at night just keeps growing.

[lila]

trj- My re is putting me on 1500 too. I do take fogard and baby aspirin for the mthfr and I'll also be on Lovenox for the PAI begining day of transfer. My med list gets longer and longer but I'll do whatever it takes as I know we all will! I actually have a med checklist that I printed out to help me keep track=)LOL. I have had 2 miscarriages with IVF and FET. I was not on lovenox or Metformin with either of those pregnancies b/c we have just found the PAI in August after my 2nd loss and the fasting glucose this week b/c I have changed re's and my new re wanted to do all tests that my old one didn't. I am so happy she did b/c that's how we found the elevated glucose. It was 101. My old re only ran 5 rpl tests and wouldn't run anymore. I had to go to a hematologist and that's how I found out about the PAI. I am starting Lupron injections tomorrow and I am just hoping that this cycle will bring us a beautiful, healthy baby!!!

Where are you in your cycle? Have you begun Lupron yet? Good luck!

[kellbell]

Hi Lila--Thanks for reminding me! I am doing well, 18 weeks along and we hope to find out in a few weeks what we're having. I wish you all the best with this next cycle and hope that the new meds work in your favor!

[tr_j]

lila - sorry to hear about your loses, it is so hard. my RE wants to start me on lovenox day of transfer as well. i was wondering if anybody else had to add this, glad to know i'm not the only one. the nurse had sort of explained the purpose, but i was a little nervous as no one else seems to be on it. if you are jumping right into 1500 you might have some of those side effects that kellbell was talking about, but once your system is used to it you should be fine. they don't bother me at all.

i started lupron and dex on the 19th and started the stims (gonal-f and low-dose hcg) on nov. 1st. i had my first b/w yesterday and go back for b/w and u/s on friday. the ER is going to probably be on the 12th. this is my first IVF, all of my miscarriages happened with natural pregnancies. since starting the metaformin and folic acid (over two years ago) i was able to get pregnant the old fahioned way, but something undiagnosed is still wrong... thus IVF. we are also doing PGD as the RE thinks it might be chromosomal.

good luck with the lupron. the only side effect i had with that was hot flashes. if you don't have a cycle group, and want one you should join the group i'm in - Pumpkin Babies wk of 11-1 (we start a new thread each sunday so they won't get super long).

keep me updated on your progress, and i will let you know how the lovenox shots go as i've heard they are the worst and not fun at all

[lila]

trj- I am sorry to hear of your losses too. It is soooo hard. I have been on Lupron 2 times before and both times I had hot flashes, dizziness, and some mild depression. I am hoping this time will be different. What dose are you on. My re has me on 20 units/day until I begin stimming and then it will be 10 units. I did take the Lovenox with my last IUI in September, our last attempt before going for another ivf. It definitely hurt really bad. It's not the needle it's the medication. It hurts going in and for about 10 mins after. The other thing was that I became very pale and pasty looking. Nothing we can't handle though. It will definitely be worth it if it helps=)

You must be so excited that your retrieval is right around the corner. Mine is happening so fast!!! I still remember waiting for my last period to start.

I will jump over to that thread, I was on it a couple of weeks ago but I stopped b/c I was trying not to be obsessed with if for a little bit;-) lol

[tr_j]

it doesn't take much for obsession to set in, that is for sure. i was crazy obsessed at the beginning when this whole process started. it has felt like a whirlwind since the last MC which was in june. everything has happened so fast since then. and while i look back and it seems like time has flown, there were definately weeks that i felt would never end, when i thought AF would never start, and when i thought ER and ET would never get here. these last few weeks i have been a little calmer and not so obsessed, maybe because it feels like the process it actually moving now. i am excited that we are finally getting to the ER and ET, what this whole thing is about.

i have been on 10 units of lupron since i started, and that didn't change when i started the stims. i am not looking forward to the lovenox, but yeah, we do what we have to. i'm not sure i can get any paler than i already am, but we shall see.

by the way, what is PAI?

[lila]

trj- Hey, I just that you wrote me back. I don't know why I never saw your post. PAI stands for Plasminogen Activator Inhibitors. It's a clotting disorder but my levels were not elevated so my re is not convinced that it's causing my miscarriages but b/c I have that and the homo mthfr c677t she is putting me on Lovenox.

Good Luck tomorrow with your transfer!!! I'll be thinking of you!