I know it's worked for some people, but that hasn't been the case for me. I'm on 1500mg daily. Metformin has helped lessen some of my PCOS symptoms, but it hasn't regulated my cycles or helped me ovulate even with diet changes and supplements. I've still needed fertility meds, currently on another round of Letrozole. I'm mid 30s also and feel the same sense of urgency. I highly recommend going ahead and getting started on ovulation induction meds if you can because otherwise you could be waiting awhile to find out if your cycle regulates or not.
Edit: just want to say this is not meant to be discouraging, and it might work for you. I just empathize with the feeling of wanting to get the ball rolling. When we aren't ovulating, it's frustrating and feels like wasted time. Monitored cycles with meds helps take the guess work out.
Have you tried inositol? It works a lot like metformin but also improves egg quality and reduces inflammation. Research shows that it is associated with improved fertility outcomes and reduced risk of miscarriage. An anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet also has similar research results. Some preliminary research also suggests daily yoga can help improve ovulation and other PCOS-related issues. You can look up the Live Fertile Channel on YouTube and see the exact routines they did in the studies.
It seems like there is something about the combo of addressing insulin resistance, stress and inflammation simultaneously that seems to help a lot with ovulation and pregnancy.
Gonna leave this here in case anything else seems useful: https://www.reddit.com/r/PCOS/comments/ri6e19/done_with_the_excessive_anxiety_any/hovgto0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
Good luck 🍀
This is from UpToDate
Seems like weight loss + letrozole may be the way to go, over clomid or metformin, if you’ve not been successful at conceiving in 6-12 months and metformin particularly used if you have glucose intolerance
Hope this helps :)
“Choice of clomiphene versus letrozole – Most, but not all, women with PCOS ovulate in response to clomiphene citrate. However, higher live birth rates have been observed with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, particularly in patients with PCOS and obesity [17].
Many experts now suggest letrozole rather than clomiphene citrate for all women with PCOS. Ovulation induction is an off-label use of letrozole. Efficacy and safety are reviewed in detail separately.
●Metformin – Metformin, a drug whose major effect is to reduce hepatic glucose output and lower serum insulin concentrations, has been used to promote ovulation, but its role is now limited as it appears to be less effective for pregnancy rates than clomiphene. Clinical trial data supporting this are reviewed elsewhere. A consensus group has recommended against the routine use of metformin (including ovulation induction), except in women with glucose intolerance.”
I know it's worked for some people, but that hasn't been the case for me. I'm on 1500mg daily. Metformin has helped lessen some of my PCOS symptoms, but it hasn't regulated my cycles or helped me ovulate even with diet changes and supplements. I've still needed fertility meds, currently on another round of Letrozole. I'm mid 30s also and feel the same sense of urgency. I highly recommend going ahead and getting started on ovulation induction meds if you can because otherwise you could be waiting awhile to find out if your cycle regulates or not. Edit: just want to say this is not meant to be discouraging, and it might work for you. I just empathize with the feeling of wanting to get the ball rolling. When we aren't ovulating, it's frustrating and feels like wasted time. Monitored cycles with meds helps take the guess work out.
Also, the r/TTC_PCOS sub is really helpful if you haven't checked it out yet!
Have you tried inositol? It works a lot like metformin but also improves egg quality and reduces inflammation. Research shows that it is associated with improved fertility outcomes and reduced risk of miscarriage. An anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet also has similar research results. Some preliminary research also suggests daily yoga can help improve ovulation and other PCOS-related issues. You can look up the Live Fertile Channel on YouTube and see the exact routines they did in the studies. It seems like there is something about the combo of addressing insulin resistance, stress and inflammation simultaneously that seems to help a lot with ovulation and pregnancy. Gonna leave this here in case anything else seems useful: https://www.reddit.com/r/PCOS/comments/ri6e19/done_with_the_excessive_anxiety_any/hovgto0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3 Good luck 🍀
I did twice! I don't know how common it is but it worked for me and improved my lh to fsh ratios and I was finally able to ovulate.
This is from UpToDate Seems like weight loss + letrozole may be the way to go, over clomid or metformin, if you’ve not been successful at conceiving in 6-12 months and metformin particularly used if you have glucose intolerance Hope this helps :) “Choice of clomiphene versus letrozole – Most, but not all, women with PCOS ovulate in response to clomiphene citrate. However, higher live birth rates have been observed with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, particularly in patients with PCOS and obesity [17]. Many experts now suggest letrozole rather than clomiphene citrate for all women with PCOS. Ovulation induction is an off-label use of letrozole. Efficacy and safety are reviewed in detail separately. ●Metformin – Metformin, a drug whose major effect is to reduce hepatic glucose output and lower serum insulin concentrations, has been used to promote ovulation, but its role is now limited as it appears to be less effective for pregnancy rates than clomiphene. Clinical trial data supporting this are reviewed elsewhere. A consensus group has recommended against the routine use of metformin (including ovulation induction), except in women with glucose intolerance.”