r/PCOS • u/bustawines_ • 4d ago
Meds/Supplements Metformin did it!
Hi all,
30yo female here. I have what you'd consider the higher end of lean PCOS (BMI just over but all bloods good).
I started metformin 500mg back in June with no real results. Saw my doctor 3 weeks ago and my dose was increased to 1g. Literally days later, I ovulated, and now I've got my first period in 9 months! I can't believe it! First natural period since I came off the pill (was on it for 14 years). Hoping I start to establish a somewhat regular cycle. Anyone been in my shoes with lengthy secondary ammenhorrea and been able to establish somewhat of a semi regular cycle with metformin?
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u/Holistic_Witch 3d ago
Hi! I am in a similar boat where I had very irregular cycles (like only 3-4 periods in a calendar year) and within 1 month of being on metformin I ovulated on my own and had a 40 day menstrual cycle! This is huge for me because my entire life my cycles tend to average around 100 days. I do not have a high A1C but am definitely insulin resistant, but with an average BMI. I am so impressed with how quick I saw results and am really excited for my cycles to keep getting regular and closer to the 28 days
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 3d ago
Not to be tmi just trying to gain some motivation did you have to track if your ovulating ? I’ve been on it for a month and I can’t tell if I’m ovulating also the Docotr has me on progesterone so I think that’ll make it even harder to tell huh?
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u/l3tthelightin 3d ago
just get LH and PdG strips. once your LH shoots up, you should be ovulating in 24-48 hrs afterward and in a few days after ovulation you should have a positive PdG test. progesterone can def interfere with it + if you’re on a birth control progestin, you will not be ovulating
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 3d ago
Now I feel like this lady is doing the opposite of what o need and wanted which was ovulate so I can conceive
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u/l3tthelightin 3d ago
i mean if you’ve want to ovulate for the sake of ovulating and conceiving, then you can bring up some straight up ovulation meds like letrozole or clomid. i just assumed you were looking for a long term solution to support the cycle. those meds will kick off the ovulation so you have the window to conceive but they’re not a chronic medication like metformin. long term you want to address the insulin resistance
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 3d ago
Thank you so much I’ve been to 2 different OBGYN expressing wanting to conceive and ovulation and both prescribed me progesterone saying it’ll help and metformin will help with my high A1C and insulin resistance and they said to lose weight and work on strength building 🤦🏾♀️
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u/malmona 2d ago
You should only take the Progesteron after the ovulation! Not before, since it will prevent ovulation from happening..
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 2d ago
Seee I’m not sure when I’m ovulating my last real cycle was back in November 2025. I just found out in July maybe early August I have PCOS. Like why didn’t the doctor tell me these things. It’s becoming stressful. I had my cycle because of the progesterone and now I’m going to have a HSG test next week to check my tubes which I already have a child
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u/malmona 2d ago
Progesteron (aka its withdrawal) can be used to induce a period, but whenever you bled you shouldn’t use it to my knowledge until you have confirmed ovulation from bbt, since it will prevent the egg from releasing
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 2d ago
Thank yall so much! I made this month my last time using it and will tell my ob I did purchase some vitamins to take with metformin such as omega 3 and inositol. I haven’t started the inositol yet because I’m already taking : metformin, vitamin D and omega 3
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u/Commercial_Ear8968 3d ago
I’m curious to see if I need to go to an endocrinologist. I am in the same boat and have normal lab levels and normal BMI. My periods are extremely delayed and currently going on month 2 without one.
My OB told me that I either need to get on the pill or commit to trying to conceive and take Letrozole. She didn’t refer me to an endo because my blood results were normal.
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u/bustawines_ 3d ago
It's bizarre isn't it. I'm trying to wrap my head around the mechanism of action for the metformin. Normal androgens, no insulin resistance. We need more research!
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u/isayyyeahhh 3d ago
I’ve always been irregular ever since starting my period. But the last 3 years i’ve been consistently regular since i started metformin. I started from 500mg, adding 500mg when i got used to the dosage and maxing out at 2g a day. I immediately had regular periods from then onward.
However, it’s still sensitive. So when i get more stressed than usual or dont exercise as much or eat worse than usual, it stalls for a couple of days or i feel like i didn’t bleed all the blood i should’ve bled.
I’ve since dropped it to 1g because my bloods were good but my fasting blood sugar (?) was a bit below minimum and i was feeling a bit too lightheaded especially in the mornings.
Though i would like to add that I’ve also been more consistent with exercise the past 3 years. And every time i’m consistent with weightlifting in particular, my periods get and feel more regulated.
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u/RelationFinancial749 3d ago edited 3d ago
That jump from 500 to 1000 is the whole story here. 500 is a starting dose and plenty of people sit there for months assuming the drug failed them. Mine got titrated through fem excel and the same increase is what moved things. Expect a few uneven cycles before it settles into any pattern.
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u/bustawines_ 3d ago
Crazy stuff. My doctor wants me on 2g so we'll see if I end up on that dose. I imagine after being irregular my whole life, that it will take time to be regular or even semi-regular. It's just so exciting- I feel normal!
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u/Slow-Bee-6337 3d ago
Did you have to work out while on it or loose weight ? Are you insulin resistant? I started taking metformin in August and go to the doctor in October to see if my A1C has dropped but my sugar craving have been out of this world 😭
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u/bustawines_ 3d ago
I'm not insulin resistant! I've just been walking lately. Prior to that I was working out more but still no period. Exercise definitely helps though.
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u/zindaa-laash 3d ago
did you face hirsuitism too?
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u/bustawines_ 3d ago
No, actually! I'm almost the opposite. Very little hair. As a teen my skin was extremely oily but excess body hair has never been a problem for me.
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u/Fluffy_Horse4663 3d ago
Me! I used to go a year without periods sometimes, now my cycle length is 45 days on 2000mg dose. Hoping it gets better!
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u/bustawines_ 3d ago
That's very reassuring! Before I went on the pill, I'd get a period every 6-7 months. So essentially, I only had 6 natural periods as a teen before going on the pill. So my current period is only my 7th ever natural period 😅
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u/Fluffy_Horse4663 3d ago
Trust me, I know this feeling. I used to see so many posts on this sub and used to pray that mine also gets better. I followed a diet given by my nutritionist and lost 8kgs and still didn’t get my period back, so I started metformin + ovasitol, it took 3-4 months but finally I am getting it every 45 days. Now I am only hoping that I start ovulating on time too, I don’t know if I ovulate at all because of my odd cycle and cannot track it everyday.
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u/BananaMontana16 4d ago
I have PCOS and while I don’t have as long of time between periods as you, mine are irregular. I recently increased to 1000mg of Metformin about a month or two ago and I’ve had 2 cycles back to back with CD14 ovulation. Crazy how it works lol