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Trying To Conceive. Taking Melmet For PCOD. Will This Medicine Help In Conceiving?
Hello XXXXXXX
Yes, this medicine will improve your chances of conceiving. First it's important for you to understand about PCOS. Let me try explaining that, then your understanding about how and why your doctor is prescribing the medicines will increase.
PCOS stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. The features of this are obesity, absence of release of egg, delayed periods, infertility or inability to conceive and male features like acne/oily skin/abnormal hair growth. Of these 5 features of PCOS any one or more than one, in any combination may be present in one patient. This means that its not necessary for all the features to be present together.
For egg release to occur and the ovary to function normally, many hormones inter-play with each other. These hormones include the thyroid, pituitary, ovarian and adrenal hormones. Raised Prolactin is associated with nipple discharge. So do check by this simple examination of the breasts the situation with Prolactin - whether its normal or not. Ovarian and Adrenal hormones will give rise to the male features as I mentioned above.
All of these hormones are controlled by the higher functions of the brain which is influenced by stress. So taking measures to decrease stress actually help in conceiving and this opinion is based on scientific facts. Besides the disturbance in these hormones, certain other changes occur like increase of insulin levels. Insulin is connected to weight gain around the mid body, abdomen, and high levels decrease fertility.
Metformin, the medicine that you have been prescribed is known, after research, to decrease the levels of Insulin and promote conception. Earlier it was known to work only in patients who are overweight but now we have enough evidence that it works even in the Thin PCOS patient who desires fertility. In my experience, the patients get alarmed when they visit the chemists to buy this medicine and they are told its given to diabetic patients (those with high sugar levels). Relax, even though this is true, we use it in our patients who need a little help in conceiving. A good example is Disprin - you may have used it as a pain killer, for headache for example, but we also use it to thin the blood of those patients who have had a heart attack or stroke. So one medicine can be put to different uses. Further, even though Metformin is used to decrease blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, it does NOT lower the blood sugar if its normal. I hope you understood this point - it won't decrease your sugar levels and cause you any problems, if your sugars are normal. So don't worry. In your case, Metformin will make your periods regular if they are irregular and help you to reduce weight if you are overweight and improve the chances of your egg releasing thereby helping you to conceive. If you do not conceive by 3 months of Metformin your doctor may suggest an additional another medicine for 5 days during your periods which will help. All the best. I hope this answers your query.
Dr Nirja Chawla
Yes, this medicine will improve your chances of conceiving. First it's important for you to understand about PCOS. Let me try explaining that, then your understanding about how and why your doctor is prescribing the medicines will increase.
PCOS stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. The features of this are obesity, absence of release of egg, delayed periods, infertility or inability to conceive and male features like acne/oily skin/abnormal hair growth. Of these 5 features of PCOS any one or more than one, in any combination may be present in one patient. This means that its not necessary for all the features to be present together.
For egg release to occur and the ovary to function normally, many hormones inter-play with each other. These hormones include the thyroid, pituitary, ovarian and adrenal hormones. Raised Prolactin is associated with nipple discharge. So do check by this simple examination of the breasts the situation with Prolactin - whether its normal or not. Ovarian and Adrenal hormones will give rise to the male features as I mentioned above.
All of these hormones are controlled by the higher functions of the brain which is influenced by stress. So taking measures to decrease stress actually help in conceiving and this opinion is based on scientific facts. Besides the disturbance in these hormones, certain other changes occur like increase of insulin levels. Insulin is connected to weight gain around the mid body, abdomen, and high levels decrease fertility.
Metformin, the medicine that you have been prescribed is known, after research, to decrease the levels of Insulin and promote conception. Earlier it was known to work only in patients who are overweight but now we have enough evidence that it works even in the Thin PCOS patient who desires fertility. In my experience, the patients get alarmed when they visit the chemists to buy this medicine and they are told its given to diabetic patients (those with high sugar levels). Relax, even though this is true, we use it in our patients who need a little help in conceiving. A good example is Disprin - you may have used it as a pain killer, for headache for example, but we also use it to thin the blood of those patients who have had a heart attack or stroke. So one medicine can be put to different uses. Further, even though Metformin is used to decrease blood sugar levels in diabetic patients, it does NOT lower the blood sugar if its normal. I hope you understood this point - it won't decrease your sugar levels and cause you any problems, if your sugars are normal. So don't worry. In your case, Metformin will make your periods regular if they are irregular and help you to reduce weight if you are overweight and improve the chances of your egg releasing thereby helping you to conceive. If you do not conceive by 3 months of Metformin your doctor may suggest an additional another medicine for 5 days during your periods which will help. All the best. I hope this answers your query.
Dr Nirja Chawla
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thanks a lot. as my blood sugar very much normal. i was worried that this medicine may harm me. My periods were regular and only last month i had delayed period (late by 10 days). I got blood test for check on blood count, prolactin and lipid profile on the third day of my periods. All the reports seems to be ok except my Hb reported 9.9 and trigylerides 198. Could you let me know how do i normalise these counts (my hb was always around 12+). My second question is will using I sure help me to identify most fertile periods. My period was always 30 days cycle, except last month. So could you let me know what is my most fertile period??
Thanks for educating me.
Thanks for educating me.
Hello XXXXXXX
Your follow up query is totally unconnected to your original query. Nevertheless, I shall answer it.
You can improve your Haemoglobin by taking supplements of iron and folic acid. To make Haem + Globin you also need to take a good protein diet and protein supplements available in the market. I would suggest at least one helping of XXXXXXX leafy vegetables every day. Add lemon juice/ lemonade with that meal when you take your greens or iron tablets so that the Vitamin C in lemon can enhance iron absorption. It will take 2-4 months for Haemoglobin in the blood to show an improvement.
For your high triglycerides, please check with a physician/endocrinologist.
Your delayed period reflects your PCOS condition and is connected with that. One can say at least in that cycle you did not release an egg. Therefore treatment in form of Metformin +/- ovulation inducing medicines is required as I explained in my earlier reply.
In a 28 day cycle the fertile period is from Day 8-18. Day 1 is the first day of the period. In a 30 day cycle one could guess that the fertile period would be Day 10-20.
I hope that answers your queries.
Best wishes.
Dr Nirja Chawla
Your follow up query is totally unconnected to your original query. Nevertheless, I shall answer it.
You can improve your Haemoglobin by taking supplements of iron and folic acid. To make Haem + Globin you also need to take a good protein diet and protein supplements available in the market. I would suggest at least one helping of XXXXXXX leafy vegetables every day. Add lemon juice/ lemonade with that meal when you take your greens or iron tablets so that the Vitamin C in lemon can enhance iron absorption. It will take 2-4 months for Haemoglobin in the blood to show an improvement.
For your high triglycerides, please check with a physician/endocrinologist.
Your delayed period reflects your PCOS condition and is connected with that. One can say at least in that cycle you did not release an egg. Therefore treatment in form of Metformin +/- ovulation inducing medicines is required as I explained in my earlier reply.
In a 28 day cycle the fertile period is from Day 8-18. Day 1 is the first day of the period. In a 30 day cycle one could guess that the fertile period would be Day 10-20.
I hope that answers your queries.
Best wishes.
Dr Nirja Chawla
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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