Today is a new day and I have decided to not stress over my meds being a few dollars more. As aggravating as it is I am choosing to not feel so angry if I do not get a refund on my meds.
I had my CD3 scan today. He saw a bunch of little cysts on my ovaries and decided to diagnose me with PCOS. FINALLY! Even though I knew deep down I had PCOS it still sucks to be diagnosed with it. So he is putting me on Metformin and a baby aspirin a day. On top of watching everything I eat. I am no good at that so think I am in for a rude awakening when I research the glycemic index and what I can eat. Just another lovely day here in the infertility world
I'm sorry you got an official diagnosis of PCOS. It's definitely a lousy thing to struggle with. This is me butting in with all my ideas and suggestions and advice to help you beat this syndrome.
I tend to do a lot of digging around and learning things on the web, but most people want to do their own research. SO please feel free to disregard. I like to share information, but understand people have to dig around on things themselves.
My Clomid cycle I took baby aspirin, as I'd heard that PCOS tend to clot - I know I clot on AF - and that it would help. Then I dug around and found that baby aspirin isn't all that great to take after all, and that it has some disturbing effects.
Here's a link to a full transcript discussion about aspirin, and natural alternatives:
https://chriskresser.com/4-natural-alternatives-to-aspirin
One of the things that stuck out to me from the article was this:
Aspirin can alter the natural structure and function of red blood cells as well as how blood flows through our veins and our arteries. This is called hemodynamics, and these really foundational changes that aspirin causes in hemodynamics and the structure and function of red blood cells explains why aspirin has such a wide range of adverse effects even at relatively low doses like baby aspirin.
Another thing, I tried metformin and blood work showed that it did absolutely nothing for me. The GI side effects are lousy, and metformin seriously depletes your B12 levels. Metformin is also hard on the liver.
I switched to mostly following a primal diet...https://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/
.....and after a few months blood work showed that my insulin is significantly improved over what it was on metformin.
Primal works because it cuts out all the processed junk, bread, wheat, bagels, fast food etc. You get your carbs from fruits and veggies. It is not necessarily a low carb diet, but ends up becoming one since your carb sources are essentially fruit and some dairy.
I'd encourage you to check it out, as imo it is way easier than trying to eat to the glycemic index. Can I mention that I love the side benefits? Being hungry every few hours is gone, headaches/nausea/irritability if I don't eat when hungry is gone, heartburn is no more, digestion is no longer screwed up, and of course lost weight....
My poking around also led to reading studies showing that PCOS ladies have issues with using inositol correctly. This is at least one of the roots of our problem processing insulin, and that is why taking inositol significantly improves insulin response and normal hormonal action.
IMO, the studies are clear that inositol is one of the main issues we have, and this leads to the insulin problems. If that is the case, then we should be taking inositol, and helping our cells respond to insulin - instead of taking metformin to regulate the release of glucose.
After all the glucose is not the problem - the problem is that our cells aren't responding to the insulin released in response to the glucose. Metformin works by only releasing small amounts of glucose at a time, so we release less insulin. As you can see this is not actually correctly the problem, it is only limiting it.
Here are a couple of interesting links to studies on the subject:
https://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/6/1439.long
https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/604.pdf
I know that your doctor prescribed metformin and baby aspirin, and I'm not trying to tell you to disregard his opinion. What I am suggesting is to look at alternative viewpoints.
My doctor would be the first to tell you, as she has told me, that doctors prescribe medications because they are encouraged to do so since these meds have studies showing they work. Why that does not extend to vitamins or supplements which also have studies showing they work, she didn't have an answer for.
I'd just encourage you to think past the meds and see if there is an answer for the root cause. That said, I'm obviously not opposed to meds, as I've tried them all, and will try clomid again. Just hate for people to think there is only one way to try.
Oh and if you continue with metformin, ask your doctor for extended release so it's easier on your tummy, and take a good B vitamin complex so your B levels aren't depleted. Also, ask him to test your Vit D levels, most of us are very very low on that with PCOS and it needs to be corrected for good fertility.
......... anyway that's my $20.00( instead of 0.02)
