https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 13 May 2026 07:03:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391182 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:32:44 +0000 MsMini 1391182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was pregnant within 6 weeks of starting Metformin. It gave me my first ovulatory cycle/cycle under 100 days long (and that as all it took for us to get pregnant)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391139 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:12:08 +0000 MaryM 1391139@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: I think it might depend on the person. I found out about a year and a half ago I had PCOS, and my dr put me on metformin (1,000mg) immediately. After a few months my cycles started to shorten, but they still weren't regular so we tried one cycle of progesterone. </p> <p>I had the worst period I've EVER experienced that december, but then for nearly the next year, my cycles worked like clockwork. DH and I weren't exactly trying to conceive so I never took my dr up on Clomid. </p> <p>I think it was about 5 months total between when I was diagnosed and when I was able to easily track my cycles with clear signals using temping and CM. </p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391019 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 16:19:26 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1391019@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: doing met for 3m and then adding Clomid is the perfect recipe because the metformin takes awhile to build up (it's a build up in your body type of drug). So, by the time you get to Clomid, you will be primed and ready. Fx you don't even need it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391017 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 16:18:55 +0000 ShootingStar 1391017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: I think it's highly unlikely it'll work that fast. It can take months for met to have the impact you're hoping for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391010 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 16:16:32 +0000 LaughLines 1391010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: That's fantastic! I guess that's what i was hoping for with the low carb... which is why i waited longer to get more progesterone this cycle, i thought it would regulate itself with the low carb. Maybe that's another indicator the insulin issue isn't what's driving my long cycles. </p> <p>@ShootingStar: I'm guessing everything that you (all) are saying is why the doc wanted to start with clomid first. I wanted to do the metformin because DH would still rather wait another couple months, so we were planning on doing Met for 3 months then adding clomid. </p> <p>At least i know not to wait for another 120+ day cycle before going on clomid. If my cycle doesn't regulate with the Met in the first 40ish days i'll just assume that it isn't going to and not let it keep going so long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1391004 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 16:13:10 +0000 wheres_c 1391004@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Metformin regulated my cycles after about 3-4 months. (By that I mean the appearance of AF etc) They were regular for about a year, then stopped again.<br /> We DTD for several years without protection and never had a BFP, but we weren't trying either.<br /> A week after acupuncture I got pregnant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390893 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:31:40 +0000 ShootingStar 1390893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Metformin *may* help you ovulate, which would then cause you to have presumably shorter cycles. But without ovulation you will continue to have unending cycles. I was on metformin for months and it did nothing to help ovulation. If you are fine with the process taking a while and you want a limited amount of medication, you can try just metformin. But if you're interested in getting pregnant sooner rather than later you should see an RE and start with clomid or femara. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390885 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:28:07 +0000 pui 1390885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: 3 weeks after I started eating a very low carb diet I got my period (after a 60 day long cycle and my last natural cycle being 140 days long) and then 2 weeks after that I conceived. I rarely ovulated before that and I definitely never ovulated that early in a cycle. I did also start Metformin around a week and half before I would have ovulated, but I don't think it could have had much time to be effective (especially since like you I started with a lower dose and worked my way up). Like I said though I was quite insulin resistant so my carby diet was probably making my PCOS act up.</p> <p>If your insulin really is already normal though, then that might not be affecting your PCOS symptoms. If that's the case, Metformin may not be helpful either... When did you say you were officially starting TTC? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390867 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:20:38 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1390867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: maybe it will shorten you 100 day cycles; mine were like 65-70 days &amp; honestly, I have had to use provera to induce periods for the last 2 months, despite being on the maximum dosage of metformin for almost 4 months now :/ so, for me, I think the only think to shorten my cycle is to ovulate so that my period will show up 14 days later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390859 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:18:22 +0000 LaughLines 1390859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: How could you tell that the low carb helped? my cycle certainly isn't shorter... i keep doing it but i don't really see any changes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390855 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:16:44 +0000 LaughLines 1390855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@CupQuakeWalk: I don't think i'm ovulating, no indication that i am. Are you saying that the metformin won't even make my cycles shorter, even if i still don't ovulate? Like a 30ish day non-ovulating cycle? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390835 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:10:55 +0000 pui 1390835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LaughLines: My doctor also tested my insulin and it was normal, but I did the test above and my numbers were waay elevated. I'd recommend doing that test if you can!</p> <p>I did a low carb diet too and it definitely helped me (I also have PCOS). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390831 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:09:12 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1390831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If yore not ovulating, metformin will not regulate your cycles. I am on 2,000mg a day and have been since October. My cycles will not be 28days long because I don't ovulate at all. Once Clomid gets me to ovulate, then I should be regular because I am on metformin. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390826 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:06:54 +0000 LaughLines 1390826@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: no, i just did a fasting blood sugar test. He didn't give me the actual result in numbers, but said i was normal. </p> <p>I have been doing a low carb diet to supposedly help with the long cycles since last september (sooo hard!) so maybe that was part of the reason my blood sugar wasn't elevated in the test. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390811 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:01:19 +0000 pui 1390811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis... but glad you finally got answers.</p> <p>Did you have the insulin resistance test (where they draw blood, make your drink a sugary drink and then draw blood again 2 hours later?) When you say your insulin was normal, is that what you mean? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/long-cycles-and-metformin#post-1390804 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 14:58:05 +0000 LaughLines 1390804@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have been diagnosed with PCOS, I have extremely long cycles (first of BC was 120 days and only got it by being induced with progesterone - Second cycle is currently on day 155 and i'm on my 8th day of 10 days of progesterone, should get AF in the next 2ish weeks). I also had an ultrasound where they saw some cysts.</p> <p>My doctor did some bloodwork and said all of my levels are normal, including FSH and insulin. He said he would start me on chlomid, but i wanted to try Metformin first to see if that works. I took my first 500mg does last night, and am ramping up to 1500mg over the next 10 days. </p> <p>So, my question is, how long does it take metformin to regulate your cycle? I'm assuming i'll get AF from the progesterone fairly soon, does that mean my next cycle after that will be regulated by metformin? or does it take longer than that? </p>