Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Interesting

Question:

Hi all, Has anyone noticed that Metformin during pregnancy is really being pushed, rather than presenting both pro and con and letting the person and their doctors choose which they prefer? Victoria

Response:

I think the reason this is the case is because of the person’s own past experience and research. I know for me I am a big pro Met activist because of how it helped me and I would love for it to help another. I also have done extensive research on it and stayed on Met until I was 36 weeks pg. I would hate to think anyone thought I was pushing it on them to stay on the Met while pg. I am a moderator of a discussion group on yahoogroups called "Metforminpregnancy" and it offers a lot of research links and opinions/findings on Met use during pg if anyone is interested in joining. Above all else, a person should do their own research and make their own decisions…I know that I agonized over my decision very much and still did even far along into my pg. As far as the pros and cons, all the research I have done points to there being a very minimal risk to staying on Met and a greater benefit in the big picture. I am sure many have found this to be true..maybe that’s why many are Pro Met during pg. Shelley

Response:

Hi Shelley, I’m not talking about just a single person. Then again, since at least one person has have used another email address to post and made it appear it wasn’t them, its hard to tell. Also, there are a number of variables that seem to indicate there is a financial or other reason behind the push. I was also a pro Met advocate until I met up with women who really didn’t want Metformin, they wanted BCP (or other drug). They let me know that it wasn’t fair to them to sort of treat their choice as something less than the desired one, or that they were ’stupid’ in some sort of way for not choosing it. It made me reevaluate how I put out information. It made me reevaluate how all of us put out information. I agree with you, although there are those who don’t want all the research to be put out and shown. As I have been told, if you tell someone the other side, they may not choose Metformin (insert other drug, depending on the case). I am impressed by those who are willing to stand by their decision as you do, and not try to hide (or appear to) any evidence to the contrary. One thing I found in an entirely separate matter is that people may make the decision to try a particular treatment, like Metformin which is not FDA approved. When something goes wrong, its blame/sue doctor/medical establishment. The fallout then becomes that doctors, fearing being sued, won’t proscribe the drug for anyone and that hurts us all. My main focus is more of sharing all points of view, and not hiding it. About all of the evidence I’ve seen shows Metformin is a ‘good thing’ in the first trimester. I think most people do agree that all the evidence shown so far would support that. What really worried me is the Danish study about the last 3 months of pregnancy, and the fact we don’t know long term drug effects. In addition, I was particularly struck by a thread on a obgyn discussion about progesterone being overproscribed for early miscarriage. Makes me wonder whether or not the same thing could apply to Metformin. Victoria "Shelley C. Kluz " <ltlover…@aol.com> wrote in message news:20011231183202.10732.00002029@mb-cc.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think the reason this is the case is because of the person’s own past > experience and research. I know for me I am a big pro Met activist because > of how it helped me and I would love for it to help another. > I also have done extensive research on it and stayed on Met until I was 36 > weeks pg. > I would hate to think anyone thought I was pushing it on them to stay on the > Met while pg. > I am a moderator of a discussion group on yahoogroups called > "Metforminpregnancy" and it offers a lot of research links and > opinions/findings on Met use during pg if anyone is interested in joining. > Above all else, a person should do their own research and make their own > decisions…I know that I agonized over my decision very much and still did > even far along into my pg. > As far as the pros and cons, all the research I have done points to there being > a very minimal risk to staying on Met and a greater benefit in the big picture. > I am sure many have found this to be true..maybe that’s why many are Pro Met > during pg. > Shelley

Response:

Victoria I am interested in the discussion you mention about Progesterone being overprescribed. My ob/gyn does not prescribe progesterone for pregnancy support and only does so for the leutal phase of an IVF cycle. I copped a lot of flak because several ‘internet friends’ felt he was being negligent since I had, had a history of m/c and ‘it can’t hurt to be on the progesterone just in case’. My progesterone levels had only been a problem with one pregnancy in which case it was caused by a poor ovulation, and was doomed to fail anyway. My ob/gyn is of the belief that in most cases the progesterone drops because there is a problem with the pregnancy not the other way around. His way of thinking makes sense to me. Could you tell me more about the discussion you mention? Is there somewhere I can look it up? I am currently 36w1d pg as a result of my first IVF cycle and after 3 prior miscarriages. I have made it this far with the help of Met to 16wks (slowly weaned from 12wks) and without any help of progesterone support. Robyn "Victoria" <nicholl…@home.com> wrote in message

news:cBkY7.33183$K36.11425952@news1.rdc1.va.home.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Shelley, > I’m not talking about just a single person. Then again, since at least one > person has have used another email address to post and made it appear it wasn’t > them, its hard to tell. Also, there are a number of variables that seem to > indicate there is a financial or other reason behind the push. > I was also a pro Met advocate until I met up with women who really didn’t want > Metformin, they wanted BCP (or other drug). They let me know that it wasn’t fair > to them to sort of treat their choice as something less than the desired one, or > that they were ’stupid’ in some sort of way for not choosing it. It made me > reevaluate how I put out information. It made me reevaluate how all of us put > out information. > I agree with you, although there are those who don’t want all the research to be > put out and shown. As I have been told, if you tell someone the other side, they > may not choose Metformin (insert other drug, depending on the case). I am > impressed by those who are willing to stand by their decision as you do, and not > try to hide (or appear to) any evidence to the contrary. One thing I found in an > entirely separate matter is that people may make the decision to try a > particular treatment, like Metformin which is not FDA approved. When something > goes wrong, its blame/sue doctor/medical establishment. The fallout then becomes > that doctors, fearing being sued, won’t proscribe the drug for anyone and that > hurts us all. My main focus is more of sharing all points of view, and not > hiding it. > About all of the evidence I’ve seen shows Metformin is a ‘good thing’ in the > first trimester. I think most people do agree that all the evidence shown so far > would support that. What really worried me is the Danish study about the last 3 > months of pregnancy, and the fact we don’t know long term drug effects. In > addition, I was particularly struck by a thread on a obgyn discussion about > progesterone being overproscribed for early miscarriage. Makes me wonder whether > or not the same thing could apply to Metformin. > Victoria > "Shelley C. Kluz " <ltlover…@aol.com> wrote in message > news:20011231183202.10732.00002029@mb-cc.aol.com… > > I think the reason this is the case is because of the person’s own past > > experience and research. I know for me I am a big pro Met activist because > > of how it helped me and I would love for it to help another. > > I also have done extensive research on it and stayed on Met until I was 36 > > weeks pg. > > I would hate to think anyone thought I was pushing it on them to stay on the > > Met while pg. > > I am a moderator of a discussion group on yahoogroups called > > "Metforminpregnancy" and it offers a lot of research links and > > opinions/findings on Met use during pg if anyone is interested in joining. > > Above all else, a person should do their own research and make their own > > decisions…I know that I agonized over my decision very much and still did > > even far along into my pg. > > As far as the pros and cons, all the research I have done points to there > being > > a very minimal risk to staying on Met and a greater benefit in the big > picture. > > I am sure many have found this to be true..maybe that’s why many are Pro Met > > during pg. > > Shelley

Response:

Hi Shelley, In regards to your first paragraph, what really gets my goat is the fact that this research could have already been started. All of Coetzee’s preliminary work has been around for years. Granted, ok, its not American, etc. but shoot – talk about a missed opportunity! Btw, its odd, but you aren’t the only one who said they still got GD with Metformin. Since there are women that say that Metformin loses its effectiveness over time, that would work with that theory. Victoria "Shelley C. Kluz " <ltlover…@aol.com> wrote in message news:20020101175919.13200.00002809@mb-da.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Still now my main concern is long term effects of Met use while pg. There still > are no long term studies done that can offer any ideas as to whether there will > be or not. > For me at the time, I felt it was best to stay on it. I was horribly scared of > MC’ing so I guess a part of my decision was based on fear.Once I got past 12 > weeks, I was even more scared to stop… > In my case, I really beleive the Met helped my pg. but towards the end I did > develop GD and the Met seemed to be doing absolutely nothing for my blood sugar > levels. So in fact, I probably could have gone off of the Met sooner…it > didn’t seem to help much in the last tri…but maybe it did ward off the GD at > least until 32 weeks. It’s hard to say. > Take care, > Shelley > Mom to Emma 11-09-00

Response:

Hi, I did see on the obgyn list I talked about, where one doctor spoke up and said that you shouldn’t just willy nilly proscribe it if they don’t have a medical reason for it. He did say that there are those who do just go PCO, give them Metformin. To a point I agree. I want to make sure that they run a large gamut of tests before doing so. I don’t mean just insulin/glucose and FSH levels. Prolactin and thyroid problems, for example, may not be caught until we do get tested. I don’t want to see us as short changed, you know, ‘here take Metformin and see me in 12 months’/blow you off thing. I’m more cautious because the longer I’ve been on the Internet and just digesting MD type discussions with women who tell their experiences, the more I’ve come to realize that it is not the 100% cure with no negative side effects it can be touted to be. D-chiro-inositol is supposed to be an excellent working drug, however, in the trials that were going on a year ago (or so), they had found that it really worked mostly for those with higher testosterone levels. You really didn’t see as much of the positive when you didn’t. (((   {sigh} Victoria "Shelley C. Kluz " <ltlover…@aol.com> wrote in message news:20020101180649.13200.00002812@mb-da.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Good point. I agree with what you are saying. I think that is why a lot of Dr’s > are so cautious about prescribing it. > But lately, it seems to be very prescribed for women with PCO even if they show > no signs of IR problems. I know I was borderline diabetic but some women are > given it solely to treat PCO even when their levels(insulin/sugars) come back > normal. > It seems to be quite the miracle drug, but in all the excitement it’s easy to > lose sight of the fact that there isn’t a ton of research on long term effects > nor short term either.

Response:

> What really worried me is the Danish study about the last 3 >months of pregnancy, and the fact we don’t know long term drug effects. In >addition, I was particularly struck by a thread on a obgyn discussion about >progesterone being overproscribed for early miscarriage. Makes me wonder >whether >or not the same thing could apply to Metformin.

Still now my main concern is long term effects of Met use while pg. There still are no long term studies done that can offer any ideas as to whether there will be or not. For me at the time, I felt it was best to stay on it. I was horribly scared of MC’ing so I guess a part of my decision was based on fear.Once I got past 12 weeks, I was even more scared to stop… In my case, I really beleive the Met helped my pg. but towards the end I did develop GD and the Met seemed to be doing absolutely nothing for my blood sugar levels. So in fact, I probably could have gone off of the Met sooner…it didn’t seem to help much in the last tri…but maybe it did ward off the GD at least until 32 weeks. It’s hard to say. Take care, Shelley Mom to Emma 11-09-00

Response:

Sorry about my signature in my last post! Shelley Mom to Emma 11-09-00

Response:

>a >particular treatment, like Metformin which is not FDA approved. When >something >goes wrong, its blame/sue doctor/medical establishment. The fallout then >becomes >that doctors, fearing being sued, won’t proscribe the drug for anyone and >that >hurts us all. My main focus is more of sharing all points of view, and not >hiding it.

Good point. I agree with what you are saying. I think that is why a lot of Dr’s are so cautious about prescribing it. But lately, it seems to be very prescribed for women with PCO even if they show no signs of IR problems. I know I was borderline diabetic but some women are given it solely to treat PCO even when their levels(insulin/sugars) come back normal. It seems to be quite the miracle drug, but in all the excitement it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there isn’t a ton of research on long term effects nor short term either.

Response:

Howdy, As long as you do not under any circumstances post to the group (its an obgyn *only* group and out of the kindness of their hearts they allow us non medical types to learn from their chats): www.obgyn.net click on forums on the top grey bar under medical professionals only, click on the obgyn-l link There is a lot of outstanding ob/gyn related stuff of all kinds. I am thankful to lurk and listen from them. If you want to ask questions, most of the same doctors answer questions on the women’s health list on the same page. Victoria "R & D" <roby…@nozemail.com.au> wrote in message news:WSoY7.102145$li3.1224286@ozemail.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Victoria > I am interested in the discussion you mention about Progesterone being > overprescribed. > My ob/gyn does not prescribe progesterone for pregnancy support and only > does so for the leutal phase of an IVF cycle. I copped a lot of flak because > several ‘internet friends’ felt he was being negligent since I had, had a > history of m/c and ‘it can’t hurt to be on the progesterone just in case’. > My progesterone levels had only been a problem with one pregnancy in which > case it was caused by a poor ovulation, and was doomed to fail anyway. > My ob/gyn is of the belief that in most cases the progesterone drops because > there is a problem with the pregnancy not the other way around. His way of > thinking makes sense to me. > Could you tell me more about the discussion you mention? Is there somewhere > I can look it up? > I am currently 36w1d pg as a result of my first IVF cycle and after 3 prior > miscarriages. I have made it this far with the help of Met to 16wks (slowly > weaned from 12wks) and without any help of progesterone support. > Robyn > "Victoria" <nicholl…@home.com> wrote in message > news:cBkY7.33183$K36.11425952@news1.rdc1.va.home.com… > > Hi Shelley, > > I’m not talking about just a single person. Then again, since at least one > > person has have used another email address to post and made it appear it > wasn’t > > them, its hard to tell. Also, there are a number of variables that seem to > > indicate there is a financial or other reason behind the push. > > I was also a pro Met advocate until I met up with women who really didn’t > want > > Metformin, they wanted BCP (or other drug). They let me know that it > wasn’t fair > > to them to sort of treat their choice as something less than the desired > one, or > > that they were ’stupid’ in some sort of way for not choosing it. It made > me > > reevaluate how I put out information. It made me reevaluate how all of us > put > > out information. > > I agree with you, although there are those who don’t want all the research > to be > > put out and shown. As I have been told, if you tell someone the other > side, they > > may not choose Metformin (insert other drug, depending on the case). I am > > impressed by those who are willing to stand by their decision as you do, > and not > > try to hide (or appear to) any evidence to the contrary. One thing I found > in an > > entirely separate matter is that people may make the decision to try a > > particular treatment, like Metformin which is not FDA approved. When > something > > goes wrong, its blame/sue doctor/medical establishment. The fallout then > becomes > > that doctors, fearing being sued, won’t proscribe the drug for anyone and > that > > hurts us all. My main focus is more of sharing all points of view, and not > > hiding it. > > About all of the evidence I’ve seen shows Metformin is a ‘good thing’ in > the > > first trimester. I think most people do agree that all the evidence shown > so far > > would support that. What really worried me is the Danish study about the > last 3 > > months of pregnancy, and the fact we don’t know long term drug effects. In > > addition, I was particularly struck by a thread on a obgyn discussion > about > > progesterone being overproscribed for early miscarriage. Makes me wonder > whether > > or not the same thing could apply to Metformin. > > Victoria > > "Shelley C. Kluz " <ltlover…@aol.com> wrote in message > > news:20011231183202.10732.00002029@mb-cc.aol.com… > > > I think the reason this is the case is because of the person’s own past > > > experience and research. I know for me I am a big pro Met activist > because > > > of how it helped me and I would love for it to help another. > > > I also have done extensive research on it and stayed on Met until I was > 36 > > > weeks pg. > > > I would hate to think anyone thought I was pushing it on them to stay on > the > > > Met while pg. > > > I am a moderator of a discussion group on yahoogroups called > > > "Metforminpregnancy" and it offers a lot of research links and > > > opinions/findings on Met use during pg if anyone is interested in > joining. > > > Above all else, a person should do their own research and make their own > > > decisions…I know that I agonized over my decision very much and still > did > > > even far along into my pg. > > > As far as the pros and cons, all the research I have done points to > there > > being > > > a very minimal risk to staying on Met and a greater benefit in the big > > picture. > > > I am sure many have found this to be true..maybe that’s why many are Pro > Met > > > during pg. > > > Shelley

Response:

Filed under: PCO

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