Advice - long cycle lengths and new to TTC

@AROSE9 I know it has been ages since this thread, but i was just wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing the outcome of your PCOS investigations/ TTC journey since?
I am in a similar situation to you and don't really know where to go from here.

@AROSE9 good idea to ask about a scan if you feel in your gut that something is off - knowledge is very much power on this and getting a diagnosis can open up doors to getting help with medication etc and can speed up referrals too!

I've also heard that PCOS can give false positives on ovulation tests as your body tries to ovulate multiple times hence the LH peak but might not always result in successful ovulation.

I have spent the past year looking every time I wipe for signs of AF and wishing I'd come off my pill earlier so I could be further along by now!

Hi @AROSE9 jumping on board if you don't mind! I came off my pill December 2021 only had my first period a year later at the start of this month which has been a loooong wait. I had bloods done in April which were normal but my Dr sent me for an ultrasound anyway just to double check and my ovaries do present as being mildly polycystic so worth pushing for a scan too maybe?

I'm waiting to see if this cycle turns out to be a normal length but haven't had a peak on an opk yet and it's cycle day 23 so looking unlikely.

My doctor has been great though and I've been referred to the fertility clinic (I had heard horror stories about referral wait times but I got in very quickly!) They are starting my on letrozole next month assuming all ok with my husband's sperm analysis which should help regulate everything.

Hi @AROSE9 I haven’t read the full thread but will share my experience of long and irregular cycles.

the clear blue digital tests are set off when your hormones peak - they’ll start to show flashy smiley face, but it your hormones drop down again then the flashy smiley face doesn’t change - it stays like that until your ovulation hormones peak or after 10 days - which ever is first. Then it breaks.

if you have long cycles and you might not be ovulating with everyone I would recommend using the cheapie dip tests - you can watch your hormone levels rise and fall on them and see that you might have two peaks and only after the second you ovulate.

no urine test can tell you if you ovulate - only by monitoring your temperature will you know if you ovulate. It’s possible to have lots of hormone peaks and your body doesn’t ovulate - only when your temp goes up have you ovulated.

so get some cheapy tests and a monitoring app and a thermometer and use them to track your symptoms, hormone levels and temp. You’ll start to see patterns.

You are right that once you’ve ovulated then it is always around 9-14 days and then your period will come.

I read a book called period power which explains all this hormone stuff in great detail and was incredibly helpful in grappling with my long and irregular cycles.

I think the only way to know for sure that you've ovulated is with temperature check but there's so many things to get right with that I never bothered..

Yes, I wouldn't know only for it happened to me and my period was later that month too which confirmed it!

It just means the egg wasn't released, maybe because of stress and so the body tries again... It happened me once when I was tracking..
Also, I think you can get surges for other reasons like just before your period comes but don't know for sure and that never happened to me but I did have a second ovulation surge once

A positive ovulation test doesn't mean you ovulated. It just means your body sent a message to release an egg but an egg may not have been released. Did you keep doing tests to make sure you didn't get a second LH surge?

@AROSE9 what pill were you on out of interest? I can imagine how frustrating it is getting to CD61 and no AF 😕 just try and keep positive and calm as stress/cortisol won't help, but of course I know it's so hard!

@AROSE9 how are you doing? AF arrived today for me so last cycle was 38 days and one before 27 days. Only two cycles since being off the pill.

Ahh might be PCOS, it's so genetic! I was diagnosed a year ago, had no idea I had it :). Good luck for your bloods. If it is PCOS, there are lots of supplements that can help regulate your period/help you ovulate. I'm currently on clomid :)

@AROSE9 sorry to gatecrash your thread but you mentioned you have family with PCOS, is it immediate family? Are you in a position to get a blood profile done?

@AROSE9 oh no! 😩 CD38 here and no AF, although not sure if she's on her way as I've got some spotting. Hopefully she is and not just random spotting! I'm not sure if the folic acid/general conception multivitamins will help bring on AF. I've been on the Holland and Barrett conception which includes folic acid the whole time. So frustrating isn't it!

P.s. still no AF over here 🤣

@AROSE9 I've also ordered omega 3 (making sure it contains DHA) as I've read having enough fatty acids helps balance female hormones and for men can help improve sperm quality (which can only do good!). Neither me or DH get enough fatty acids from our diet alone so only seeing this as a plus 👍🏼