TTC & Taking Clomid &/or Metformin ~ November 2006 #3

Good Morning,

Well I did my test this morning and unfortunately it is a :bfn: for me. Oh well I will just have to wait for af to show up. I will test again next week if she hasn't arrived over the weekend. I still haven't any signs of her arrival so maybe it's just too early early to test or maybe my levels are too low to be picked up on a hpt. Does anyone know what your levels need to be to be picked up on a hpt? I know that when I was preg last November I got a bfn at home and went to drs the same day and she did a b/t which came back possitive. Maybe I should get a b/t next week if no af. What do you all think???:(

I will pop back in later fo personals. Have a great day.

PS Bei Bei, Good luck with your first cycle of clomid.

Mako, I wish you more luck than me... every time I get to a decent length of time after ovulation and have no AF, and test and get BFN... it turns out that I never actually ovulated at all, so that is just what I generally assume now.

Interesting information that came from my OB friend... metformin should be between 1500mg and 2550mg. I increased mine to 2000mg this morning. And clomid will give me side effects regardless of whether it will make me ovulate or not (bugger!). And it more than likely is PCOS... because I responded to provera, because my reproductive system is (apart from the PCOs) normal, and for a few other reasons that I can't remember now. I'm just lucky (hah!) that it is non-obese PCOS, but unlucky in that getting me to ovulate seems to be quite tricky.

BW

Hi BW,
I know that I have ovulated as it showed up on my 23day b/t. Can you tell me why your ob friend said to take metformin between 1500mg to 2550mg? I thought it would depend on how we respond to the doses that have been prescribed and monitered. I don't really know too much about metformin and I was under the impression it was to control symptoms of diabeties. I'm not sure why I have been given this as I don't have diabeties and haven't showed any sign of getting it in the future. The only thing that my spec said is that sometimes taking the two meds together increases the chance of pregnancy. I would appreciate your thoughts.:)

Mako I am so sorry honey. I hope that it is just too early and that AF stays away from you. Big :hug: to you. I will keep you in my :pray:

Mako - thanks for checking on me. CD9 today. It could be day 10 depending on what I count as my day 1 as I had a few days of spotting prior to AF this time. Anyway, counted last Friday as my day 2 and took first Clomid tablet for this cycle then. Either way, I either had them day 2-6 or 3-7. I have upped my folate intake to 2000mcg and taking B6 and B12. Well on the way to "rattling!". No problems again this cycle although I was a bit emotional at the start of the week so I guess that was the Clomid. Just waiting for the BD fest. Have to confess that I dread it more and more each month. I hate to say that but it is true. I get so anxcious sometimes that I'm not going to success. Then a few minutes later I am on top of the world and feeling really positive. I know we all get like this and it's just so unfair for everyone of us.
Believe it or not, I'm actually feeling rather chirpy today. Gosh you say, if this is how she sounds when she is chirpy I don't want to be around when she's not!!!Ha, ha.
Hope you are going well. What's happening with you.

BW - so dreadful when other people make your busines their business. And at work of all places. Thinking of you hun, and your DH. Big hug.

Brain must be melting. Hi, to everyone else. Hope you all have a great weekend.
Happy vibes and baby dust to you all.
Debbie

Hi girls,

Well.....as you know, I did a series of HPTs. Actually 3 in all and they all came back -ve. And then I had the migraine in there somewhere and TBH, I couldn't have cared what was going on! But on Tuesday, one of the tests came back with a very very feint line and I wasn't really sure if it wasn't an evaporation line ('cause I read it after the time period). The next morning (Wed) I did another and I got a 2nd line. I booked myself in for a blood test on Wed and I only just got the result back today. And I am pregnant! :bfp: I don't know the levels yet..just that it was positive.

Now I know that whilst this news is simply the best for me, it won't be music to many of your ears. And I feel bad about that. This is the first place I have posted on BB and I wanted you girls to hear it from me directly. Rest assured that I know how each and every one of you want this exact thing for yourselves and you are all doing as much as you can to make that happen. And for the vast vast majority of us in here, a BFP WILL happen.

Anyway, I am not telling anyone else (other than DH of course...told him at breakfast this monring) except the BB community about this news just yet. We have so much trouble staying pg, that it is worth the time to wait and see how everything pans out. But by no stretch of the imagination, we are not out of the woods yet.

I am waiting for my FS to ring me back about arranging a script for progesterone and oestrogen that I will have to take for about 16 weeks.

Little steps and taking one day at a time.

Mako - it may just be too early. Fingers crossed for you. Please let us know how you go.
Debbie

Hayseed - That's fantastic news! Congratulations on your BFP *hugs* Make sure you take it easy, but I'm sure you will have a wonderful, happy & healthy pregnancy :)

Hayseed - Congratulations girl!!!! Well done.

I understand what you said and it's so absolutly lovely to think of our feelings. What a very special person you are. But I am sure that not one of us grudges you this fantastic news. I wish you the very best and keep us informed of how you are going.
You deserve this.

Bi hugs,
Debbie

OMG Congratulation Hay! I know you don't feel out of the woods yet but it's a great start!

Congratulations Hayseed...that's wonderful news. Any success gives me hope...so thankyou!

Mako...hang in there...you never know til AF does her show! Regarding levels, it all depends upon the HPT you use. Some are sensitive at 10miu, some at 20, some at 25, some at 50, etc. The lower the number, the more sensitive they are. I bought 10miu ones through lullaby conceptions...not that I have ever have a BFP, but I'm hoping one day I will...and it will show earlier on the 10miu ones.

Anyway...just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you...and still hoping and praying that this will be it...

And with me...I've now ovulated on FF so are now in the TWW...who knows...

I finally scored a "high" on the BD timing meter...so it's more positive than in the past. Trying not to get my hopes up...but they are anyway...we'll see...

To everyone else...good morning...weekend tomorrow...yayayay!!!

:happyforyou: Hayseed that is such wonderful news. Congratulations it is about time someone in here got a BFP so lets hope you have started a trend. Way to go sweetheart.

Hayseed :happyforyou:
That is just FABULOUS news!!!!! Of course it's music to our ears!!! I think we are all big hearted enough to be able to rejoice in your happiness! This is your time and my goodness you deserve it! Please try to enjoy this and know how very very happy I am for you! You have put a very big smile on my face!

Monnie - So bd fest is over for you and now we wait.... I have a feeling that Hayseeds wonderful news is the start of a flow on effect!

Debbie - Clomid makes me emotional too (that's my excuse!). I think my period will arrive today so I will take my first dose tomorrow (if it does). I am thinking of you and as always am sending :fertilise: vibes to you!

Butterfly: It must feel awful to have someone talk of things to others that you had asked to remain private. I hope things start to look up for you soon.

Mako: I am thinking of you. I hope it was just too early to test... :hugs:

Willow: You have been in my thoughts. I hope you are feeling more like normal now and that the in law trouble starts to settle down. :hugs:

Kt: I hope this is it for you... As I said above let's hope that Hayseeds happy news is the start of more for us all!

As I said I think my period will come today and if so I will commence my clomid tomorrow. I am starting back on 100 and I think I will have a follie scan on cd12 just to have a peek at how things are going.
I have to have a glucose tolerance test tomorrow as it hasn't been checked since I had Eva (I had gestational diabetes with her). So, it will be awful going without my morning cup of tea!
I will pop back in later. Have a lovely day everyone!

Hayseed, what a fabulous news! So very happy for you, I can understand that you are being caucious and don't want to get too excited too early, but this is a wonderful start (those two lines are all I wish at the moment without thinking the next step) and send out loads of :stickyvibesboy: to you

Debbie, I know exactly what you mean by 'dreading the bd fest' every month, too much expectation and its not that simple and fun any more. Talking about emotionally, its my first day having clomid, so far so good, maybe the side effect not kicking in yet...

BW, thinking of you, hope you had a better day today...

Flowergirl, hope AF will hold off and you will get some good news. Can I ask how many cycle you have been on 50mg before going onto100mg on clomid?

Mako, sorry to hear your news, but it might be just a tad early...chin up girl

Ktgirl, monnie, thinking of your girls and everyone else hope you all have fabulous weekend!

Hi BeiBei,
I won't get a BFP this month. This will be my first period since my Eggbert died. So, this is the last time for a long time that I will welcome my period. Once it starts (and it STILL hasn't) I will commence clomid from cd2.

I was on 50mgs and I conceived Eggbert on that however my cycle was much longer than usual and I ovulated later. So, we have decided to just go straight to 100mgs.
It really is an individual doctor thing. I know some specialists who start on 100mgs and some who start as low as 25mgs.

I have a really dull headache and I am twingy just like period time but no show so far today. Maybe in the morning...

I hope you don't get too many symptoms. I really didn't notice it until about cd12 and then I noticed I got really emotional. Having said that I don't know if it was just hoping that it would work... Many women don't report adverse symptoms so I hope you will be one of them! :hug:

wow!!!

It's been a long day, and it's put the hugest smile on my face to come home and find Hayseed's news! I know a lot of people may not agree with me saying this, but I feel that if there's one place that I can be honest, it's here. I'm completely over seeing girls who've been trying for 5 minutes fall pregnant, when there are others who have been going through hell for ages. Sometimes I feel like they just don't deserve it, that it's unfair (you all probably know the emotions!), but there's not a single woman in here who I wouldn't cry tears of joy for (and I am now!) if they conceived. So... Hayseed, hearing of your success is just so amazing, so refreshing and gives so much hope to me, and I'm sure the rest of us as well... Thankyou for giving us the honour of sharing your news with us.

Mako, hopefully your test was just too early. As for the metformin thing... I'd asked my friend a number of questions regarding all things TTC. I'd been thinking that it wasn't doing anything, questioning my dose (1000mg, when a lot of stuff I'd read suggested that it should be higher), and whether I should continue to take it. I'd asked such hard questions that she was forced to delve into the medical literature to find answers. Luckily, as she's still working in hospitals, she has access to a system that links her to the very latest gynecological research, and that's where her answers came from. But first, a quote from Dr John Eden, apparently the Australian PCOS guru:

:

---

Some women with insulin resistance respond to metformin therapy, which improves insulin resistance and aids weight loss. There is a lack of large-scale, properly conducted clinical trials on this drug, but the best information to date suggests that metformin (at a dose of 1.5-2g daily) restores ovulation in around 50 per cent of women with PCOS who are not ovulating.

---

and the other quote from my friend's email:

:

---

As you know by now, the recommended dose for ovulation stimulation is 1500 to 2550 mg per day. In non-obese women with PCOS the dose used in the studies was 850 mg twice daily. The evidence shows similar rates of ovulation with metformin or with clomid (note that these are only about 67%) but that pregnancy rates are higher with metformin. So for that reason alone I would keep taking it as it increases the chance that pregnancy will follow if you manage to get ovulation to occur. There is also a lower rate of spontaneous miscarriage with metformin. They recommend the following monitoring with regard to metformin: take for 5 weeks then have a progesterone level measured evey 7-10 days to determine if ovulation has occurred. If progesterone is greater than 5 ng then it has. If ovulation is not detected after 5-10 weeks of metformin alone then add clomid (note the RE I worked for suggested 6 months of metformin before clomid)

---

So that explains, sorta, the reason for the increased metformin dose. I too think it is strange that people with type II diabetes only get 1000mg, when women with PCOS get doses much higher. My friend has told me on many occasions that the use of metformin in treating PCOS is cutting edge stuff, and that to some extent it hasn't filtered through to all levels of medical professionals. My GP didn't know about it until I told him, and while my gyn did know, he'd obviously not done enough reading. I'm also told that metformin has been found to be useful in treating PCOS even when there is no insulin resistance - probably for the same reason that some IVF docs put their patients on it regardless of PCOS or not, just for the simple fact that it seems to improve egg quality.
I've always thought I was extremely lucky to have a friend who is a doctor, just for the simple fact that there's a convenient second opinion, or a quick way of finding out whether I should panic about something or not. Now that we are TTC and I've been diagnosed with PCOS I'm even more thankful for the fact that she's studying to be a gyn/obs, as she has access to the most current research regarding my treatments. I guess private specialists also have access to the research, but you never really know how up to date they are, but I know with this friend, she has a personal investment in making sure I'm treated properly by my doctors and making sure I have the most thorough and complete information possible. And in turn, I'm happy to pass on that information to other women here on BellyBelly. Now I've rambled on about metformin and my super-wonderful friend so much I've forgotten the original question! I do hope this was enough information for you, Mako.

As this is a mammoth-length post already, I shall end it here, and wish the rest of you much luck and baby dust.

BW

Hi Flower girl, its beibei here not Mako who didn't get the facts right (I assume that you were answering my post) ....I am so sorry to hear your loss.:hug:

Well, in that case, let's bring AF on so that you can start your clomid cycle.

I started on day4 and I am glad now its weekend, so that I can be as emotional and moody as I like ....

Hope your headache soon be gone hun....

Sorry Bei Bei,
That I got your name wrong! Blonde moment! Blah my headache is still going strong. Never mind there are worse things as we all know! :hug: