Polycystic Ovaries

moni rn · Jun 12, 2002

karalea,

sorry for the lateness of my reply! :imbar my mother was taken to the emergency room friday with chest pain, and she is still in there. they have ruled out her heart, but they have no clue what is causing the pain. so, it is just a waiting game! ugh!

back to the subject ... a little about my background: all of my hormones are in line & i am not insulin resistant. i did have some weight gain (about 30 lbs), some abnormal hair growth (i can't believe i just admitted that!), adult acne & irregular cycles (i did ovulate, but not until day 19 or 21 or even later.). my re ordered an ultrasound. since all of my bloodwork was normal, he was not expecting pcos, but there it was clear as day. i started crying on the table. the u/s tech asked why i was crying. i said that i knew what i was looking at. she asked, "are you sure?" all i could do was to shake my head yes. :crying2:

when i went back for my follow-up appt, we discussed glucophage. i asked the same question you did. "won't it lower my blood sugar too low?" he said it shouldn't. i have been on it since jan, & i have not had a single problem with my blood sugar. i do carry around glucose tablets around, just in case though. i have also changed my eating habits a little. i have cut out most of my carbs. most of my carbs come from fruits & vegetables. since taking the glucophage, i have lost about 20 lbs, acne has mostly cleared up & my cycles are now 28 days.

sorry for the novel! :) i hope this helps you out some!

best wishes!

emrettig · Jun 12, 2002

This is a fascinating subject. At 54 I am significantly overweight. I had a hysterectomy last year but prior to that my periods were as regular as clockwork. I do have HTN and have had it for years. I know I have problems with insulin resistance. In my 20's I took DBI (fenformin) and lost a lot of weight. I have been reluctant to take the Glucophage, even though my husband (who is a Peds Endo) brought samples home for me. I have two sisters who have documented PCOD, one even managed to have 3 babies without the help of a fertility specialist.

After checking the cystosister site I am going to start on the Glucophage and see what happens.

Thank you for asking the question. It got me thinking about taking care of myself.

Eileen

KaraLea, LVN · Jun 13, 2002

rn2b, sorry to hear about your mother...hope she feels better soon. My uncle also went into the hospital recently with chest pain and dizziness and they can't figure out what is going on, decided it wasn't his heart I guess. He was also dx with esophageal spasms a few years ago when he c/o chest pains so you may want to ask your mother's doc about that. It can really look and feel like a heart attack. Thanks for the information about the Glucophage and low blood sugars, I have pretty much decided to go to my doc and request this medication.

emrettig, PCOS can run in families...My paternal grandmother and her mother both had the same symptoms (but back then they didn't have the dx of PCOS). Also, my paternal aunt had endometriosis as well as some of the symptoms of PCOS.

basg777, high testosterone is part of the PCOS that causes the symptoms...the way it was explained to me is that the ovaries make an egg each month even if it is not given off to start a menses. It just stays in the ovary and becomes ovarian muscle tissue which in a female makes testosterone, which then causes the woman not to have menses (which causes the egg not to be given off...just a vicious cycle), as well as to have the excess weight, excess facial/body hair, thinning hair on the head, adult acne...etc.

To everyone, thanks for the support. I too didn't realize that there were so many of us out there. It is good to know that I am not alone in this struggle. Hang in there all of you and all of you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am not now trying to get pg, but for those of you that are...GOOD LUCK

HUGS TO ALL

RNforLongTime · Jun 14, 2002

I made the appt to see the RE on July 1st at 10am. I am excited to see what he has to say as I really want to get pregnant soon. So many people I know, relatives friends and coworkers are all "I'm pregnant" It's hard when they're pregnant and you're not. Karalea, definitley mention glucophage to your MD! Good luck!

Kelly

micro, RN · Jun 14, 2002

kaknurse.....

Yes, it is so hard.....

You hang in there.....

and good science, medicine and luck to you....

micro in your corner.........

RNforLongTime · Jun 15, 2002

Thanks micro, for your support....you are awesome!

sleepqd · Jun 15, 2002

I don't think I ever realized that what I was going thru had a name. My periods have always been wildly irregular and extremely heavy. I suffered ffor many years with excruciating pain from cysts, taking 200 mg Darvocett and 1 Gm Ibuprofen q 4-6 hours just to function at work.I had gestatioal diabetes with both my pregnancies (no family history), I have HTN & ^^ cholesterol. When my PHCP sent me to the GYN., he wanted to 'adjust' my hormones. Well, he "adjusted" them so well that I bled non-stop for a month. I couldn't walk down the hall without getting SOB. Seems my HgB was 12).

A male gynecologist is like a mechanic who never owned a car. - Robert Byrne

mlolsonny · Jun 15, 2002

I was DXed with PCOS before I started nursing school. I have been TTC for about 3 years, but to no avail. I'm contemplating Clomid after I finish fall semester. I just don't think I could handle all the work of nursing school with all those hormones to boot.

http://www.soulcysters.net is a wonderful site, with lots of good information. You can ask questions on there that you'd be embarrassed to ask even a fellow nurse.

I'm really enjoying this BB too. It's a toss-up which one I spend more time on. LOL

KaraLea, LVN · Jun 18, 2002

I have a problem, I went to see my doc today and ended up seeing his associate (another doc). Not usually a problem, except when I asked about trying Glucophage for my PCOS he asked..."What's PCOS?" I'm not kidding!!! Also, he had never heard about using Glucophage for anything except Diabetes. Does anyone know of any articles I can print up and take to him about this? He said that he would look it up but I looked in my 2002 Mosby's Nursing Drug Reference book and it doesn't say anything about any other uses except DM. If he only checks that kind of book then he may not get a real idea of Glucophage as a treatment for PCOS. I really want to start on this med and can't afford to go back to the Endocrinologist so would like to get it from my GP.

:confused:

Huganurse · Jun 18, 2002

From Mayo Clinic: Here's the link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/diseasesandconditions/invoke.cfm?id=DS00423

Researchers are evaluating the use of metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR), an oral medication for type 2 diabetes, to treat PCOS. Metformin inhibits the production and release of glucose from the liver, thus requiring less insulin to transport blood sugar into cells. Several clinical trials have found that metformin improved ovulation or reduced androgen levels in women with PCOS.

KaraLea, LVN · Jun 18, 2002

Thanks Huganurse...I printed it up and will take it into the doc tomorrow morning on my way into work.

mlolsonny · Jun 19, 2002

http://www.soulcysters.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6999

http://www.soulcysters.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4803

http://www.soulcysters.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4420

All of these posts contain information regarding PCOS and Glucophage (metformin).

HTH,

Shelly