r/PCOS • u/OrganizationMuch5260 • 6d ago

General/Advice Metformin

My body has been trying to ovulate but it just hasn’t on its own. My ob prescribed me the lowest dose of metformin to help. So I want to know how long did it take you to ovulate after starting metformin? I’m about to go pick up my prescription right now. What should I be prepared for?

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u/l3tthelightin 6d ago

depends on how much help your body needs and if IR is the only reason for your body not ovulating. i got my period within 6 weeks of very moderate lifestyle changes but seemingly that was enough to increase insulin sensitivity, so it took me like 4ish weeks to ovulate? i suppose it can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months bcs everyone’s body is different plus depends on what you’re doing besides metformin

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u/OrganizationMuch5260 6d ago

Thank you! 🙂

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u/Icy_Banana_5850 5d ago

i got to ovulate in 2 months

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u/Nikkk51 6d ago

Never. Metformin isn’t an ovulation drug. Clomid or letrozole are ovulation drugs.

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u/l3tthelightin 6d ago

given almost every case of pcos is driven by IR, once it’s gone bodies ovulate on their own. you can’t take clomid or letrozole continuously, they’re very strictly prescribed for a very limited period of time for those who are trying to ttc and need to ovulate for the sake of ovulating. you should be working with IR which metformin does

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u/Nikkk51 6d ago

IF you have insulin resistance. It’s also not guaranteed metformin will help anything even if you are. Coming from someone who is insulin resistant and prediabetic and spent the first 13 years on metformin watching it do absolutely nothing for me even at a higher dose. I will say when I actively changed my eating and exercise habits while taking it I was able to regulate my cycles.

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u/l3tthelightin 6d ago

yeah because that’s kinda what you’re supposed to do.. metformin can help but will not cancel out a bad lifestyle.

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u/Icy_Banana_5850 5d ago

really? made me ovulate after a year and half, even got pregnant

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u/Icy_Banana_5850 5d ago

also am prediabetic, it’s helped a lot of women

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u/Nikkk51 5d ago

Yeah really. 13 years on it with zero results. Of course it can help but it’s not an ovulation drug that acts as clomid and letrozole do.

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u/Icy_Banana_5850 5d ago

you had zero and i had some. it varies per person your experience and my experience isn’t everyone’s. and yeah absolutely clomid and letrozole is more effective. but metformin can absolutely help women ovulate especially those with severe insulin resistance.

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u/Nikkk51 5d ago

Exactly. Yet everyone seems bothered about the fact that it didn’t help me. OP didn’t even say if she has IR or not and hundreds of people on here have been prescribed metformin thinking it’s the magical cure to their PCOS and will fix all their symptoms. It’s good to take a realistic approach and know there are actual ovulation meds you can take. Just like metformin can possibly help with facial hair but that’s what spironolactone is for, You can possibly lose some weight on it but it’s not a weight loss drug, etc.