PCOS and OPKs

[EastMidsMumOf1]

Does PCOS affect the LH surge?
I had ovulation pains and watery CM on the day of the test at the top but no positive result. I have only had 2 periods since giving birth, my past 2 cycles have been 36 days and 43 days so I'm having to test every day - its driving me crazy as my body is telling me I'm ovulating but it's not showing on the tests!!

[Mycrazylife85]

Fellow PCOS lady here. If you, can start temping. It's the only way you'll know. OPKs aren't reliable if you have PCOS, I still use them but only a temperature increase will confirm ovulation

[EastMidsMumOf1]

Do you know if getting up to do night feeds will affect it though? I was also trying to go by CM but I rarely ever get EWCM even when I conceived before so I cant even use that as a reliable method grrr!

[Mycrazylife85]

Yes it will unfortunately. You do need a solid 3 hours and it needs to be taken roughly the same time. Do you get up at the same time for the night feed? It'll be so good if somehow you can manage it. My graph from last month is textbook, this month it's screwed. I clearly haven't ovulated and I have no idea when I will. If you have pcos your body may gear up to ovulate several times. That's maybe several positive OPK and several random days of EWCM (as I've found recently with the latter 😔) I just haven't had sore boobs yet so fingers crossed it'll happen when that symptom arrives. Gutting this month. It's tough going

[ApplePie86]

I'm guessing everyone is different but I have PCOS and got a positive OPK for the first time 10 days ago - that's after I started taking Inositol. Previously my cycles were ridiculously long (up to 6 months) and first month on it I'm looking like 40 days.

Sounds like you're ok conceiving though - did you have fertility treatment?

[ineedaholiday11]

Ops are not reliable in my experience. Example. When result on the clear blue ones I was specifically instructed by hospital to buy said o had ovulated. By chance I had a scan that day. Scan confirmed I hadn't ovulated at all and administered trigger injection! (Clomid round)

[EastMidsMumOf1]

@Mycrazylife85 DD sometimes sleeps through (9pm - 6am) but other times will wake around 3.30am so I might be okay if it's only 3 hours I need, I hope! Oh that's abit crap then, so in theory I could get numerous surges throughout my cycle?
@applepie86 before I got pregnant my cycles were irregular but I knew i was ovulating as i get quite abit of pain and sometimes spotting but now they're really long! I've not had treatment but took 3 years to conceive DD2, DD1 didnt take long at all although at that time I had no symptoms of PCOS, I was only diagnosed in 2017.
@ineedaholiday11 I've heard a lot of similar things about those clear blue ones, even for ladies without PCOS. I've just been using poundshop ones because I'm having to test so much, it's a nightmare.

It doesn't help that I've only just stopped breastfeeding, DD2 is only 5 months old but I'm fairly eager to start the TTC process so if I do require treatment I (hopefully) wont have to wait too long.

[EastMidsMumOf1]

Despite no surge, I must have ovulated!

[ApplePie86]

Congratulations!!!