She did some research and found out that many women were being helped by reproductive endocrinologists, so she asked her GP for a referral. A reproductive endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in the hormones related to reproduction, and Carrie’s RE was surprised that Carrie had sought help despite not trying to have a baby. What Carrie and the RE both knew was that uncontrolled PCOS is closely linked with serious disease including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The RE performed some tests, including a glucose tolerance test and looked over Carrie’s previous test results. Carrie requested a prescription for metformin (brand name Glucophage) because she’d seen that studies were showing good success. Metformin is a drug normally given to adult onset diabetics to control their glucose. At that time, the link between blood sugar, insulin, and PCOS was a new hypothesis. The doctor prescribed 6 months of metformin and told Carrie to come back after those six months.