Metformin will not work for weight loss if you are not insulin resistant (which means you have PCOS, type II diabetes, or syndrome X or some other underlying insulin resistance) The mechanics behind it is that it makes your cells more receptive to the insulin your body produces so you metabolize carbohydrate calories instead of storing them as fat. If you are normal and healthy, your body is doing that on it's own already. Limiting your carbohydrates will cause weight loss on it's own as well as correct heartburn, gas and acid reflux problems. The average patient on metformin loses approx. 4 pounds a year, and it's not uncommon to have an initial weight loss higher than that. I was on met for years and it had no effect on my weight. Oh well. We are all different. It can have some side effects and a lot of women have told me that it decreased or eliminated their libido! Not good! I did find that it did that to me as well as sucking the energy out of me. Those are probably the two most common side effects. If you are taking metformin, you really have to limit your alcohol intake. Too much alcohol and met can cause lactic acidosis, a potentially fatal condition. Also it's important to let your dentist know if you are having any dental work done. And of course, if you are having surgery you must stop taking it for a few days prior to surgery.

By the way April, there is no *test* for PCOS. The diagnosis is usually made after taking a detailed personal and family health history. A bunch of blood tests are taken which may or may not show minor abnormalities. Also, a check of if any PCOS symptoms are present, how you gain your weight/how it's distributed on your body etc. It takes some women years to get a diagnosis. I was diagnosed at age 42 after presenting symptoms since my teens. Because I had no real infertility problems, doctors ruled out PCOS for me. Some people and doctors think that you ALWAYS have infertility probs with PCOS but that's not so. It's one of the more common symptoms and PCOS is the most common reason for infertility in women. But that doesn't make it an absolute. Good luck with your weight loss!

Margaret