Can anyone tell me if Clomid plus Metformin increases or decreases your chance of multiples? I just want to have a baby-- no preferrence here, but would like some information! I've heard conflicting reports! So- multiple moms and singleton moms- please reply! (Submitting question to different categories). ↓
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Name: yetanothertripletmom | Date: Dec 24th, 2005 5:24 PM
Metformin, alone or in combination with clomid, will not increase your chance of multiples. Clomid can increase your chances. Good luck!
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Name: Melissa | Date: Dec 25th, 2005 4:00 PM
I took clomid alone and was not able to concieve until it was paired with metformin. I now have a daughter who will be 3 in Feb. and 3 month old boy/girl twins. Good luck! ↑
Name: MiaBlaze | Date: Dec 26th, 2005 7:50 PM
yetanothertripletmom-- I'm not sure I understand your answer. Perhaps I should clarify-- I've heard that Clomid alone increases your chances, but adding Metformin DECREASES your chances (of multiples). Have you heard of this? Also, Melissa, did you conceive both times with the combination? Please share!!! Thanks, ladies! ↑
Name: yetanothertripletmom | Date: Dec 27th, 2005 9:00 AM
It sure didn't decrease my chance of multiples! LOL. Clomid and metformin do completely separate things. Met works on your endocrine system to even out blood sugar. Excess blood sugar CAN (but not always) cause blood restrictions in the uterus resulting in no implantation of the embryo or a miscarriage. It will not in any way affect the amount of eggs. I'm not sure what your aim is in taking both, maybe your doctor can clear up any questions or concerns you. Good luck. ↑
Name: Melissa | Date: Dec 28th, 2005 9:34 AM
Yes, we conceived actually 3 times with the combo of metformin and clomid (second one ended in a miscarriage around 6 weeks). I was put on both because it can aid in ovulation for those who have PCOS ( I don't ovulate at all on my own). ↑
Name: MiaBlaze | Date: Dec 28th, 2005 11:48 PM
Thanks for your responses. I don't have a preference, as explained, but bottom line: I want a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby as the result-- one, two, three, twelve-- whatever God blesses me with. I was told by a friend that Clomid causes hyper-ovulation (as confirmed by my ob/gyn) but I've heard (through a friend) that the Metformin will limit the chance of multiples (not sure how). I'm going to ask my doc at the next appt, but wanted to ask ahead of time from those with experience-- hope that's alright. Melissa, I'm a PCOS'er, as well. Also, I have astronomically high testosterone numbers, causing the lack of O as well as the blood sugar surge. Either way, I've already learned that this whole fertility drug thing is a crap-shoot at best. I'm convinced I'd have a better shot at guessing my odds in Vegas than figuring out if I'll be pregnant this month or next with one or more babies! Any more advice? I could use it-- mostly to calm my nerves, quite frankly. This PCOS thing and constant testing and constant examinations and... this is a lonely place. ↑
Name: yetanothertripletmom | Date: Dec 29th, 2005 9:21 AM
I have PCOS too. What a nasty disease, huh? Metformin won't in any way decrease your odds for multiples, but will increase your odds of a live birth. ↑
Name: belindalou | Date: Jul 8th, 2007 7:14 AM
i am not sure aboutthe two together but would also like to know have 18month old twin boys as a result of clomid dr has decided to put me on metformin so i can try to have another baby does anyone know if metformin alone increases the chance of twins ↑
Name: belindalou | Date: Jul 8th, 2007 7:32 AM
i took clomid and got pregnant with twins so i know that clomid does increase the risk on its own its about a one in twenty chance while your taking clomid to have multiples im no sure about metformin but i would love to know as i have just been put on it i am trying to get pregnant again. ↑
Name: kelsmi | Date: Aug 18th, 2007 5:05 PM
I was just diagnosed with PCOS last week. My husband and I really want to have a child and are heartbroken over this, because I don't ovulate at all. I'm beginning all of the check-ups and will talk to my Dr. soon about treatment. Anyone know chances of pregnancy with PCOS? I'm 29 and in really good health (weight wise, etc...). This is such a scary thing! ↑
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Name: BellasMum | Date: Mar 7th, 2008 9:51 AM
I two have PCOS. I was Diagnosed with it after my freshman year of college in 2001. I had to see a Endo specialist in Maine Medical for several years because my hormones were out of wack.
So I was lucky to know about this syndrome before my husband and I started trying for a baby. We got married in 2004 and started trying for baby 1 in 2005 I was put on Metformin with Femara. It worked and we got our daughter. Now she is 2 and we are trying our rounds again. This time Im on Metformin with Clomid (nothing so far, of what I know of). But I would love to have twins. Its in my blood. My mom's a twin and my sister had twins. (My husband's brother and sister are twins as well so it would be a neat addition, although I know it doesnt run on the man's side.)
Good luck everyone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~ Baby Dust!!~ *~*~*~*~*~* ↑
Name: Lmanis | Date: May 9th, 2008 4:30 PM
Actually I am currently taking Metformin and now currently taking Clomid and my Doc told me that the change of twins is much higher than just using clomid, but i have PCOS so i have to take both...well good luck to you hope you have a healthy baby
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Name: Queen_Wench | Date: May 20th, 2008 11:33 PM
My info is not opinion or hearsay. It is from published research on this very topic. Several studies have compared rates of multiples on various drugs: injectable gonadotropins, clomid alone, clomid+met, metformin alone. Injects carry the highest rates of twinning, followed by clomid alone. A clomid+metformin combination is next down on the list, while metformin alone carries the lowest chances of twinning. So, while clomid+met has higher chances than a natural/unmedicated cycle, having the met makes the odds thankfully lower than taking clomid alone. ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 21st, 2008 4:42 AM
from what my doctor told me that she was told at a conference for clomid and metformin was that taking both as opposed to taking clomid alone has the same end results. ↑
Name: LuvMyBaby | Date: May 21st, 2008 9:51 PM
I am not sure if it increases the chance of multiple births. I was taking metformin when i got pregnant with my 2 yr old son. and I have just recently experienced a m/c. But I still want more kids. I am 31 and I still want to have at least 3 or 4. So when I go back to the dr I will ask about that clomid & metformin if they will increase my chances then that is what I need. Good luck to you all & Be Blessed. ↑
Name: Lyd | Date: May 21st, 2008 10:16 PM
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19 years old. Last year in december I started taking met x2 in the morning. Which seem to have helped my sugar/glucos levels though still no ovulation. So I am at day 12 in my first month of Clomid and an extra met tablet at night time. still no sign of LH rise in the mornings I am just crossing my finger for the next week or so. I am not sure how long I would be able to go on the emotional roller coaster of each month. Just hoping the mixture of clomid and Met works for me. twins or one child I would be happy with!! ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 21st, 2008 11:22 PM
hello? can anyone see this? as i said before clomid + metformin has the same effect as clomid alone... **Lyd** i wouldn't up your dosage without talking to your doctor because metformin can cause hypoglycemia if you over do it. ↑
Name: Queen_Wench | Date: May 22nd, 2008 12:14 AM
Teddyfinch: I'm sorry, but just about everything you've said here is incorrect. 1) Metformin does not increase insulin production; rather, it sensitizes your body to insulin so you don't overproduce. Therefore, it is extremely rare for hypoglycemia to result from met therapy alone. I'm not saying that anyone should meddle with their scripts on their own, just that there is very little chance of hypoglycemia from met. 2) Adding met to clomid has good rates of success (ovulation and pregnancy) even in clomid-resistant patients, and is a great combo. But still, clomid+met has a lower risk of multiples than clomid alone. See Oct 2007 Journal of Reproductive Medicine; May 2007 New England Journal of Medicine; March 2008 Fertility and Sterility. ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 22nd, 2008 11:22 PM
queen_wench: well then i'll have to go slap my doctor and tell her she was wrong. sorry but your "public" research isn't anything compared to what doctors find out at their conferences. and i know what metformin does. my mother is diabetic and i've taken metformin. i know it makes your body more sensitive to the insulin it produces, but one of the side effects is hypoglycemia and i can imagine overdosing for your own personal gain won't help. and if someone is pre-diabetic, they are prone to hypoglycemia anyway and adding a medication to make them even more sensitive to the production of their insulin actually does cause them to experience the hypoglycemia more often. until of course, their body makes the correct amount of insulin. you should try reading the side effects from it. it's pretty clear. 2.) why, then, would my doctor tell me multiple times that metformin and clomid have ultimately the same effect as clomid alone if it wasn't true? sorry, but i trust a doctor over a google search. and you would think that considering one of the side effects of metformin is ovulation, along with clomid, the chances of multiples don't change. but i'll make sure and say a forum person said she was wrong so next time she goes to her conference she can inform them that they are all wrong due to a report someone found on the net that couldn't possibly be wrong. once again, i'll take my doc's word over yours. sorry. how much personal experience do you actually have with metformin or clomid? ↑
Name: Queen_Wench | Date: May 23rd, 2008 9:18 AM
Teddyfinch: Just so you know, my mum is diabetic, too, so I am no stranger to that world. And I have been taking metformin for four years now. And lordy, I am a veteran of infertility, and have used clomid (5 rounds, 4 ovulatory), letrozole (6 rounds, 6 ovulatory, 1 pregnancy with m/c at 12w), follistim (2 rounds of injects, both ovulatory w/ multiple follicles, no pregnancy), and am gearing up for IVF #1 (which is why I was checking out this board in the first place, knowing that I will have a high chance of multiples). And like you, I have confidence in my RE and clinic, as they are very much involved in research. But I do not want a fight, because in a case like this it is futile: neither of us is going to change what we think, and it doesn't really matter, anyway. Because anyone using clomid, whether with or without met, still has a chance of multiples regardless of you or I believe the chances are higher or lower... the chance is still there. And if someone is doing clomid, then they just need to accept that there is a chance of multiples, and that their chance is higher than the general population. Period. ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 25th, 2008 5:25 AM
*sigh* i don't think anyone's safe from diabetes anymore. they need to hurry up and make that cure. i took metformin, but had problems with it so had to stop. mine wasn't so much hypoglycemia as much as bowel problems that were severe. that sucked, but then again, my insulin levels were fine, so i wasn't forced to keep trying it, thank goodness! i would say i'm a veteran of infertility aswell, considering it took 7 years of trying total to see my very first ever bfp. i have to say out of everything i've ever taken for it, that huge dose of patience worked the best. my luck was with clomid, though. i took it for 3 cycles and at my first ovulatory cycle it worked. i was very very lucky. i do wish you luck on your ivf, though. i don't want a fight either, so please know that now. i've had a rough few days with stomach issues so you can tell by my responses when my days are good vs bad. and i know that clomid increases your chances of multiples. i was terrified at the thought because (had to take a break from typing to watch my two clawless cats box. it's like a hilarious silent movie) anyway, because i feel like i could one at a time better. my whole position was that clomid + metformin don't necessarily work any better than clomid alone. and i 100% believe that because i do trust what my doctor learns in her conferences. maybe i was being misunderstood in my previous posts. so, if i may, is this your first baby you're working on? this would be mine too. ↑
Name: Queen_Wench | Date: May 25th, 2008 2:57 PM
<<Teddyfinch said: my whole position was that clomid + metformin don't necessarily work any better than clomid alone. >> Okay, I wasn't talking about overall success rates like you were; I was talking about rates of multiples. And yes you're right, it IS being hotly debated about whether adding met to clomid actually increases ovulation & pregnancy rates as has been claimed. But no, I was talking about what the original poster was asking, about whether met+clomid increases or decreases chances of multiples. And on that front, the preliminary research comparing women who took clomid versus clomid+met does support that the combo-therapy is showing lower rates of multiples than taking clomid alone. That's what I was saying. ↑
Name: Queen_Wench | Date: May 25th, 2008 3:07 PM
OH, and yep, I'm working on child #1. I actively started TTC (as in, medical interventions after never getting pregnant on my own after years of being off birth control) in 2004. Irony of ironies, I never really needed that birth control, because I don't-- or rarely-- ovulate on my own. :-P I had never had a positive pregnancy test until the first time I had a trigger shot, and POAS for giggles. I got pregnant this past winter, but miscarried around 12w. Now I'm mentally ready to move on to IVF, and have had a consultation covering the process. Buuut... now I have to work on getting financing lined up; I certainly don't have $12,000 just sitting around!!! Oh, and I understand needing the break, 'cause cats can be freakin' hilarious sometimes! ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 25th, 2008 5:09 PM
oh ok, well i wasn't worried about the original poster at all cuz that was like over 2 years ago =P and regarding your find regarding clomid vs clomid + met...ohhhh! ok wow. well, all i can take is clomid so i better be careful lol. and yeah ttc is really scary when you have to try different ways. people ask me if i'm thrilled and while i am, i'm not ever at ease with this. i won't ever be fully relaxed in being pregnant until i have the baby because i thought i had lost it at 4w when i had horrible cramping and bleeding and passed tissue. so i'm scared of losing this all the time. i wish i could just enjoy it, lol, but i enjoy the things i can like when i'm laying almost on my tummy and i feel a little flick from the inside like "hey! yeah there's someone under here ok!" ↑
Name: samehere | Date: May 25th, 2008 7:25 PM
Teddy- even when the baby is here, you will enter a whole new world of paranoia. My dd is 9 and my twins are 4 and I still check to make sure they are breathing during the night. Every sneeze, rash, fever, cough, gag, not eating, eating too much...etc. It all makes the mommy mind go way off the charts. It amazes me women live longer than men with all the worrying we do. ↑
Name: Teddyfinch | Date: May 26th, 2008 6:01 AM
lol samehere: i'm trying to find a time in my life when i'll relax a little but i guess now that we're on that road, worryless nights are over lol. ↑
Name: Macster | Date: Jul 17th, 2008 6:44 PM
Has anyone with pcos gotten preg with Metformin and 50mg of Clomid? And, was twins the result? ↑
