Appointment Results

David and I went to our RE (see last post) this past Tuesday. I had an ultrasound to check to see if I had any cysts on my ovaries. The nurse (the doc's wife) did our consultation afterwards. She said she was really encouraged by the improvments in my labs and my weight loss (I've lost 20 pounds since I was last at that doctor). She said we were ready to go ahead and start the clomid. I will be going in next Tuesday (the 26th) for another ultrasound for them to see if the clomid is doing its job. We will see how this goes. I hope it goes well. ;) They will then give me some sort of shot to "help things along". :) I am not sure what the shot is or exactly what it does, but I am sure I will find out on Tuesday. I am really excited about all of this. I really feel like we are actually getting somewhere!!!! It's felt like such a slow process up until this point, but with all the monitoring that is going on now, I feel like it's going a bit faster.

In case you are wondering about the medicines I am on, they are called metformin and clomid. Some of you might have heard of metformin before as a drug for diabetics, but it also has great indications for women having trouble with fertility. Below is information on both drugs to give you an idea of why I am on them.

I should also mention that I have been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). If you are interested, here is a link for informaiton on it.
http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview

METFORMIN

Metformin is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels.

Benefits of Metformin
RESTORATION OF NORMAL MENSTRUAL CYCLE. A number of studies have shown that menstruation can be restored in many women with PCOS. For example, in a study at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, 43 women who were not having periods took Glucophage, and 39 of them resumed normal menses.(6) In another study at Jewish Hospital, 11 teenage girls with PCOS were put on metformin and a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Ten of the 11 girls resumed regular periods.(7)
IMPROVED CHANCE OF PREGNANCY. A study of 48 women with PCOS and infertility was conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine. They were first given metformin and 19 of them resumed menstruating and showed indications of ovulation. But 10 required clomiphene (a fertility drug) in addition to metformin in order to show evidence of ovulation. Twenty women of the 48 (42%) became pregnant. However, 7 of the 20 miscarried.(8)
REDUCED RISK OF MISCARRIAGE. Another aspect of PCOS-related infertility is the tendency for repeated miscarriages. A study from the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Venezuela looked at 65 women who received Glucophage during their pregnancies vs. 31 who did not. The early pregnancy (first trimester) loss rate in the metformin group was 8.8% as compared to a 41.9% loss in the untreated group. Of those women who previously had miscarried, 11.1% of the metformin group miscarried again, while 58.3% of the untreated group again miscarried. (9)
REDUCED RISK OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES. In another study at Jewish Hospital in Cincinatti, gestational diabetes risk was evaluated in two groups of PCOS women. The first group was 33 non-diabletic women who had conceived while taking metformin or took it during their pregnancy. This group was compared to a group of 39 PCOS women who did not take it. Only 3% of the metformin group developed gestational diabetes as compared to 31% in the non-metformin group.(10)
WEIGHT LOSS AND OTHER BENEFITS. Metformin may contribute to weight loss in some diabetics.(11) However, weight loss does not appear to be one of its primary benefits. Glucophage may also be of some value improving success with in vitro fertilization, lowering cholesterol, and improving energy.

CLOMID
This medication is used to treat infertility in women. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation). This medication is not recommended for women whose ovaries no longer make eggs properly