After Nuvaring No Period and Now About to Try Metformin

Yes I have taken Metformin before and so has two friends of mine. For some reason it does work. Dh and I tried for 5 yrs to get pg and took the Metformin but then took Clomid and wammo I was pg within 3 months!

The last thing I wanted to hear when I was trying to conceive was how young I was and how much time I should wait because things could still work out on their own. When you want a baby you'll do just about anything. Age is a totally independent factor. I have PCOS - confirmed with blood work and ultrasound. I had tried clomid, injectable gonadotropins and 3 cycles of intrauterine insemination. One pregnancy resulted but ended shortly thereafter in a miscarriage. In October 2006 I began taking metformin. I had another miscarriage in that same month but then got pregnant in March 07 with nothing in my system but metformin (no other infertility drugs). I continued taking metformin through the first trimester of pregnancy as it has been shown to help reduce the rate of miscarriage and I am happy to say that our beautiful daughter was born in November. Now we are planning when to start trying for a second and when I should start back with metformin.

My biggest advice for you is to follow your own instincts. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're too young or that you haven't been married long enough. You know yourself and you know your relationship standing. If metformin feels right to you, go for it!

As a side note...I was 19 when I got married, 22 when we started with infertility testing, 25 when I got pregnant and 26 by the time I delivered. Everyone said I was too young to worry about having a baby but I wanted to be a mother more than anything. Now that I have been blessed with my daughter I couldn't be happier! My sister also took metformin for her PCOS but it made her really sick (this is common, but you start in small doses to help your body adjust to the medicine). She stopped taking it, but was able to get pregnant by losing some weight which also helps to regulate PCOS.

Best wishes to you and your family!

My advice would be to stop all pills... and let your body try to do what it supposed to do naturally. All the birth control pills and patches you were taking is what probably messed you up since that is what they do. They are awful and cause a lot of problems with the body. They can cause cervical cancer, breast cancer, and many other issues as well.
the doctors are going to keep sticking you on pills... I would give it a break for a while and let your body do what it is supposed to do and get back to normal, as long as they have found nothing wrong with you.

N.,
I had been trying to get pregnant for several years with no luck when my O.B. sent me to an infertility specialist who determined that I have PCOS, polysystic Ovarian Syndrome & put me on Metformin I didn't get pregnant right away butI had other issues too so I had to do other fertility drugs & I also had to give my self shot of progesterone. I did 2 rounds of IVF & now have a beautiful baby girl who is now 2. Things will work out you just have to hang in there.
R.

I took Metformin when I was trying to conceive my second child. It didn't take long after I started taking the medication. I'm pretty sure it was the first cycle.

I recently gave birth to my third who was conceived without any medical intervention.

If you are trying to get pregnant you should run out and buy 'Taking Charge of your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. I think it should be required reading for every woman in her childbearing years. I learned so much when I read it!

Good Luck!

Hello,
Are you and your husband trying to get pregnant now or in the very near future? If so I would suggest you stop using birth control all together. I have never been a big fan of birth control pills, patches or rings. There are to many side effects and it causes irregular or no periods at all. I feel a woman should ovulate every month because why would you want your body to reabsorb the waste that your period puts out? I have never heard of Metfromin but you may want to stop the pills or what have you to get your period regular. You and your husband can use condoms until you both are ready for children.

Hey N.,

You said you just started trying last month... Well, it could take a healthy couple some time to concieve. Yes, there are the lucky ones that can the first try, but many take much longer than that. So, I wouldn't worry until you've been off the pill (which you have 6 months) and no condoms (which you have only one month now) until you hit the year mark. Until then you should just try to let your body get back on track. I'm not sure what pills you were on as well, but some are pretty bad and your body may take a while to get regular again after you stop. It takes time girl. Good luck!!!

Also, if your doctor has been giving you provera to induce your period as you said, that is a form of birth control actually. It's a high dose of progesterone that you dose your body with so when you stop it forces you to bleed. It took me a long time to start getting regular periods again after the pills I went on, but it did in time. Once again, good luck!

Hey N.,

I feel your pain and frustration. I was on the depo shot for 3 years and it took me almost four years after getting off the shot to concieve. I too didn't have a regular period for almost two years. All I can say is to keep positive and know that it will take some time to get the birth control out of your system. If you can all help it, I would probably stay away from anything that comes close to a birth control or regulator. I wish you the best of luck!

S.

I have two boys (6 and 8) and we thought we didn't want any more....but we changed our minds. I was on birth control since the birth of our youngest, but I always forgot to take it, so I tried the shot. I had so much bleeding in between my periods, that we decided it wasn't worth being on, so my doctor suggested Nuvaring. I really loved it--my periods were like clockwork, very short and light. But after having been on it for about a year, we decided we wanted another baby. I went off it in March of last year, and we waited about 3 months to start trying to conceive. My periods haven't been regular since going off the ring. I have actually thought I was pregnant 3-4 times because I was so late. Then when my period does come, it is extremely heavy with a lot of cramping. I have never heard of the drug you are going to be taking, but I go to the doctor next month, and I'm planning to ask about it. I am almost 32, and if I'm going to get pregnant, I want it to be soon. Let me know how everything goes!

I didn't take Metformin. I actually had a similar story with my first child. I ended up having to gain 20 lbs. take a hormone, and chlomid. After 2 years of trying and 6 months of pills it worked, and we have a healthy baby boy.
Also...don't know if your dr. told you this or not,but when you do have your cycle don't use tampons. They can cause some of the blood to clot and block the way. The first month I didn't use them we got pregnant.
Hope some of this helped. Good luck and relax.
JH

To be honest, this hasn't been going on long enough to do anything drastic in my opinion. I do know that that's not what you want to hear, but I would just give your body time to reregulate itself. Eat right, excercise. Try and release stress (I know, easy for me to say) and let life take it's course. Try to get to a normal weight if you're not.
While metformin can increase the odds of pregnancy in PCOS, one of the first things to learn in parenthood is that life is not your own anymore: decision making is not about you, timing is not about you, etc. Anyway - conception is usually where this starts! It either comes too soon or too slow - but either way it's practice for parenting in the sense that you realize you are no longer in charge of your own life.
I would wait 6 more months before doing anything unless the tests showed PCOS or insulin resistance - good reasons to start metformin now. I am sure it seems like forever but you are only 25 so you have lots of good conception years left.
Good luck.

P.S. All pills are not bad (they do not just cause cancer, they can prevent it - it's complicated stuff and requires appropriate use so don't fall victim to scare tactics) - and that is not all that doctors are going to do. Listen to them even if they seem to tell you things you don't want to hear. It's just that most people don't want to wait. Develop a relationship with them.

To Jamie above (and N.) - I don't think you are to young to be worried about fertility or to take fertility treatments or to take metformin if you need it. I think you are too young to do so if you don't. People who are at risk for pregnancy complications if they wait another year because they are already 35 are in a different category than you. Infertility (natural) is considered not conceiving after 12 months of trying. You do not yet fit that category. While some people say 6 months, you have not had normal periods in that time and just came off birth control so they probably wouldn't for you. When you qualify - different story. Also, if you have PCOS - metformin is a fine drug to use. It seems it worked well for Jamie and I am very happy for she and her family. However, you have said that your tests came back normal. If you don't have PCOS and you do not fit the criteria (yet) for infertility and are 25 - I suggest not putting chemicals in your body that don't need to be there. I suggest doing as many healthy things as you can and reevaluating if you fit any of those criteria later. Hopefully you'll get pregnant on your own.

I'm a 67 year old grandmother so I'm definitely not up on procedures to get pregnant. My only comment is I have a niece who has just become pregnant by taking metformin. She had been to a number of fertility specialists and was considering adoption. Her little one is due in August. Good luck.

My sister had a similar period problem. She finally went to a naturalistic doc. They discovered she didn't produce very much progesteron. (Sorry bad speller) She ended up taking a progesteron shot. She was pregnent the next month! They didn't think they wanted anymore kids and weren't trying, but are very happy with the new addition!
Good luck!

Dear N.,

I am a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. I work with women with menstrual problems and Infertility. Metformin is usually prescribed if PCOS is a diagnosis. After BC pills, many women have difficulty getting periods right away. If you are looking for more natural means to accomplish goal, I suggest seeing someone who practices Chinese Medicine. I have been in practice for over 20 years. I also teach Chinese Medicine, and do a lot of community outreach. Everyone always asks me what is Acupuncture good for, and my first response if "menstrual problems". Acupuncture has been shown to regulate the neural/hormonal system, and does a great job. You can read more online. There is information on our website at my place of work, The Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine. www.mcim.org I also have another site www.acupuncture-baltimore.com. Hope this was helpful

Sincerely,

S. Martin

Hi N.,
I don't really know your reason so stress your selves to have kids. It sounds like you both are way to hard to your selves. Stop drugging your self up,detox,start eating organic food, skip the convenience foods - which is a huge culprit an so many cases to why copules cant concieve, it takes two healthy bodies to concieve a baby - healthy sperms and healty egg.
You are still young and I understand you want to have kids. How about honoring your body by taking yoga classes, meditating. There are no shortcuts. Sure you can drug yourself up so when you concieve you have this drugged up body, which NO research on the foster about how it feels has been done. Take it easy, relax, nurture your body so it's healthy, nurtured and fresh for the little baby to grow in.
Also read Sheryl Martin's advice further down, it's a great one.
Wish you all the best,
L.

i am on the nuva ring because i dont have normal periods i just started 1,000 mlg of metformin to try to get pregnant on. if it doesnt work my obgyn is going to start me on 50mlg on clomid. hope everything goes well with you.

Good Morning N., I am going through the same thing. My doctors have told me I have PCOS, polysystic Ovarian Syndrome. Have they diagnosed this? Also, have they checked for endometriosis? I went through all that. We are still trying. Good Luck to you. N.

Hi N.,
I have been on Metformin. I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly Cyctic Ovarian Syndrom). I was also not have regular cycles after I went off birthcontrol. To make a very long story short. I went through years of IUI, 3 failed attempts at IVF and now I am a nanny raising other people's babies until I can afford to adopt. Not a happy story for me, but it is what it is. Metformin did nothing for me. I was eventually put back on bc pills to regulate my cycle. Sorry. Everyone is different though. Becoming a mom can be a long road. But it is your road. Get there how you can with no regrets.

I was on Metformin for PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome)- the leading cause of infertility in women. My endocrinologist put me on it after I was diagnosed. He put me on it to sort of even out my hormones, I had always had regular periods, although one of the main symptoms of it are irregular periods. I've never heard of it used for regulating periods though. Anyway, Metformin is (I believe) the most common drug for use in PCOS fertility issues. It took us a while to get pregnant - the first time anyway - but I had other issues to contend with, but the metformin definitely helped. It is perfectly safe for use trying to get pregnant and I was on it throughout most of both of my pregnancies! I would ask your doctor if he suspects PCOS since he prescribed Metformin and if he does you might want to find an endocrinologist that specializes in infertility. I'm not saying you have it at all! And if you do, no need to despair. I have 2 gorgeous children that are 16 months apart. In fact, I'm still on Metformin to help regulate my hormones.