Irrational love

How can one love something that makes life occasionally inconvenient? Such is my love for the drug Metformin.

In my last post, I mentioned how it's drastically reduced the length of my cycles. And that is exactly why I love it. Before, I would have no idea in any given cycle just when I would ovulate. Sometimes it would be a short 24 days*, sometimes an average 38 days, and sometimes an excruciatingly long 63 days. And that's not counting the luteal phase, which is usually 14-16 days long for me.

It drove me insane with the waiting around. And the sucky part is that any egg that's released after 30 days of developing is not as strong as an egg that's released before that 30 days. I call it an old egg, but stale egg would be a more understandable term. Anyway, in my longer cycles, we would still try, but the fact that the egg wasn't fresh probably hindered us more than we realized until we'd been trying for well over 2 years.

Then in February of 2011, I went in for my yearly with my Physician's Assistant. And I had ulterior motives as well. At that point, I was 43 days into a cycle and had been spotting for the better part of a week... and no O in sight. I tested to make sure I wasn't pregnant and then I decided I'd had enough. So in my appointment, I asked the PA if she would write me a prescription for progesterone so I could end that hellish cycle. After she said okay, I went out on a whim and asked if she'd write me a prescription for Metformin as well. For those unfamiliar with the drug, it's main use is for people with Type 2 diabetes, as it helps the body absorb insulin better. And since one of the features of PCOS is insulin resistance, metformin is commonly used by RE's to help get that under control.

Back to my story, I kind of expected her to say no, because she is a PA and not a fertility specialist. But she is actually pretty knowledgeable about fertility matters, and she said yes! She started me at 500mg a day, and after a month, I was boosted up to 2,000mg a day. And ever since I started it, I have not O'd any later than 27 days, though the average now is 21 days. It's so wonderful, I don't know how I'm ever going to go back to "normal". Of course I have hopes that my body adapts to this timing, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

It does come with a price, however. Metformin is not an easy drug for the digestive tract. It does get better the longer you're on it, but even now, 8 months later, I have to be careful about when I take it, and to make sure I'm near a bathroom at all times because I never know how I'll react to the drug on any given day. Makes traveling interesting sometimes (and that is another reason why going on the band tour would be super inconvenient & humiliating).

But in the end, I have to weigh the good with the bad, and although living in a bathroom sucks, I can live with it since getting an early O gives me such a peace of mind and a renewed sense of hope. It also gives me more chances to try... going from 6 to 11ish chances a year. And chances are all I really want out of the drug.

*for a woman with long cycles, 24 days is short. Remember, it's all relative.