1) Were you having menstrual periods before the metformin?1. i used to have periods once every 4-7months, then almost 2yrs back i went on diannet and had periods, then came off it after a few months, and ever since i have had periods every month for a year 3months and only 11months of that iv been on met
2) If you weren't having them before the met, are you having them down? 2.not sure if its due to the met or the diannet i was on
3) Do you check your blood sugars? Are they improved with the met? 3. dont check blood sugars, dont think my doc has either
4) What is your hemoglobin A1c test result? Is it normal now, or decreased from before? 4. i hav no idea wat that is
5) Did you have acanthosis negricans before? Is it improving? 5. no idea wat that is never been checked to my knowledge
6) How are your lipids now compared with before? 6. no idea wat it is never been checked to my knowledge
7) How about hair growth patterns? 7. not to sure iv always been hairy, i guess its the same as it was

I'm thinking that you need to do some internet searches or talk with you doctor extensively to understand what PCOS is and what symptoms you can expect to see improved with the metformin.
Women with PCOS often have irregular menstrual periods. Once you improve the underlying insulin resistance often times menses resumes. If you aren't checking your blood sugar surely your doctor has done lab work to check your sugar. A woman with PCOS can have insulin resistance, but have normal blood sugars for a long time as the pancrease overcompensates, which eventually will lead to type II diabetes.
I think I would ask my doctor if (s)he has done a hemoglobin a1c test. That is a measurement of what your blood sugar has been over approximately the last 3 months. With the met you should see an improvement in this number even if you aren't diabetic.
There is an entire thread here on this forum that talks about acanthosis negricans. It is a skin condition caused by insulin resistance. The skin will appear dark and be rough. It often looks as if you haven't washed, as it appears dirty. Many women have it around the neck, elbows, breasts, groin, armpits. It should improve with the met.
Because excess insulin also acts as a fat storage hormone many with PCOS will have elevated blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides etc) I would think you doctor would be monitoring these.
Hair growth patterns are affected by PCOS. Many women have excessive facial hair as well as thinning hair, and extra hair on the abdomen. Some women, myself included report that this is improved with the met.

Again, I would educate my self as much as possible. The met, I'm sure wasn't only given to you to lower your weight.
Does anybody else want to help me out here?

yeh i have a rough idea about pcos but all these regualr tests u say the doc should be givin me seems kinda odd as she has said no such thing neither has the GYN

is it pos that treatment in UK is dif to USA?

I wouldn't think that the basic treatment would be that different whether you are in the US or the UK.

wel i dont think uk nos anything about pcos doesnt sound like iv had half the treatment im ment to have had

You may want to look at these sites:
http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pcos.htm

http://familydoctor.org/620.xml

http://www.rtfm.com/lowcarb/lc-pcos.html

I liked this one best
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues...dson.html#suba0

oh i no bout hemoglobin cz it was ME mention that to GYN n he sed not to worry bout iron atm.

the other links the info on it i new most already but stil feel lost cz u lots all getin proper treatment n im 21 n dnt seem like my drs are doin much

Hemoglobin A1c does not refer to an iron test. When you make a new hemoglobin molecule it is around for about 90 days. Therefore, when they check a hemoglobin A1c test they look at how much sugar is attached to the hemoglobin molecules. A score from 4.6 to 6 (roughly, depending on your lab) is normal. Anything higher than that means that your hemoglobin molecules have been subjected to increased levels of blood sugar. Did you check out those web sites?

i did but alot of it i already no, was pretty much the basics about wat is pcos and how its treated etc

Weight Loss Benefit of Met In Women With PCOS Depends On Dosage (Study)

This study investigated whether there were signficant differences in the effects of Met on obese women with PCOS between 1500 mg and 2550 mg dosages. This study, published last May, found that there is a significant difference in weight loss for obese women with PCOS between 1500 mg and 2550 mg dosages (there was signficant weight loss with 1500 mg, and even more with 2550 mg). There was no significant difference in weight loss between the dosages for morbidly obese PCOS women (there was similar significant weight loss with both dosages for that group). No differences in reduced cholesterol were found between the dosage levels (Met lowered cholesterol similarly no matter what dosage was used). Ovarian function appeared to show improvement in all subgroups (no difference between the dosages). There were 83 women in the study and it lasted 8 months.

Abstract
Context: metformin treatment of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is widespread, following studies with diverse patient populations. No comparative examination of weight changes or metabolite responses to different doses has been reported.
Objective: to determine whether different doses of metformin (1500 or 2550mg per day) would have different effects upon body weight, circulating hormones, markers of inflammation and lipid profiles.
Design: prospective cohorts randomised to 2 doses of metformin.
Setting: university teaching hospital with patients from gynaecology / endocrinology clinics
Patients: obese (Ob, BMI 30 to <37; n= 42) and morbidly obese (Mob, BMI >37; n=41) women with PCOS.
Intervention: patients were randomised to 2 doses of metformin, and parameters assessed after 4 and 8 months.
Main Outcome Measures: changes in body mass, circulating hormones, markers of inflammation and lipid profiles.
Results. Intention to treat analyses showed significant weight loss in both dose groups. Only the Ob sub-group showed a dose relationship (1.5 Kg and 3.6 Kg in 1500mg and 2550mg groups respectively, P=0.04). The Mob group showed similar reductions (3.9 and 3.8 Kg) in both groups. Suppression of androstenedione was significant with both metformin doses, but with no clear dose relationship. Generally beneficial changes in lipid profiles were not related to dose.
Conclusion. Weight loss is a feature of protracted metformin therapy in obese women with PCOS, with greater weight reduction potentially achievable with higher doses. Further studies are required to determine whether other aspects of the disorder may benefit from the higher dose of metformin.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/rap...004-2283v1.pdf

what wud happen if i came off of metformin cz i think i now have to start payin for my prescriptions and if i cant afford it one month will it be so bad comin off it??

You would probably get bad side effects when you start again...

Other than that, I don't know what it would do to your cycles...

am i write in thinkin that if i ever got preg unplaned not to abort cz could be only chance to have kids with pcos?

PCOS affects differant women in differant ways. Some women have no problem concieving with PCOS. Others can do it easily with the help of fert. meds. And some can't even with fert meds. Although, most women do find it hard to concieve with PCOS. My Dr. said that a lot of women with PCOS have a higher chance of miscarrage but he never showed me any statistics to support that. (Although he has been wonderful so I have no reason to doubt him) I personally don't belive in abortion, and not just because you may not concieve again. But that's a decision you have to make. If you concieve easily without planning it. Chances are you will be able to concieve again. But that is by no means a guarentee. So, you really have to decide what's right for you when the situation happens.

i realy do think i wudnt b able to get preg easy, as a teen have to admit i wasnt exactly careful and never ever got preg, so i guess i was actualy quite lucky, but surely that wud sugest that im not all that fertile

Nicola I know exactly what you're going through - I haven't a clue what tests my doc is doing but he's doing a blood work every time I go down - problem is he's reading a 6 month old blood work when I do!

I don't feel better on the meds, am not losing weight as I expected, and feel very lousy and no support either.

I agree with you it seems much better in the USA after reading this forum for many months, and so frustrating that nobody understands the condition well enough I feel for you.