Smiley face on ovulation kit, negative pregnancy tests after 2 week wait but also no period ?!

[Maghribia]

Okay this is getting very frustrating, anyone else been in a similar situation?

I have PCOS, or at least features of it... scans show ovarian cysts but hormone tests usually are within the normal range. I'm no hairier than would be expected given my ethnic background and always had very 'female' fat distribution until some time last year when I got a bit of a belly but I think that might be for different reasons, don't want to derail thread. BMI of 25.6 or something according to GP.

I get between 4 to 8 periods a year, all at random times. Occasionally I can tell when I'm getting a period because of EWCM, breast tenderness, bit of a bloated feeling but usually it is all completely random. Periods are never painful and usually last about 5 days when they do come. Because I can't predict them I've been using those Clearblue ovulation tests.

For the first time in months I got a smiley face ie positive on the ovulation kit so dp and I did the deed later that night. 16 days have now passed and I still haven't had any sign of a period, which I am assuming would have come by now if I'm not pregnant.

I've taken four pregnancy tests though and all are negative, both the digital ones and the first response, so I'm guessing I'm not pregnant??

Can you get false positive ovulation test results? If I have ovulated why don't I have any signs of a period?

I was meant to be going to Harley Street this week, but the treatment is so expensive it has put me off for now unless absolutely necessary. Anyone had any success stories in my situation/ similar experiences, I know MN is a minefield of helpful information!

OK, I probably don't mean minefield (typing and talking at the same time!) but am now not sure what the word I was thinking of was! Anyway, am hoping there will be someone out there who will be able to lift my mood slightly

Stop using the monitor; its not helping re ttc and is likely to be also giving you duff information.

OPK's should be avoided when periods are so irregular as these can give false positive readings in these circumstances. These kits measure LH which is a hormone that many women with either PCO or PCOS to excess so the kit ends up reading that. (PCO and PCOS are two separate conditions but the commonality is the cystic follicles on the ovaries). Also the kits work on two misleading principles; namely that there is one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both are not true.

If your periods are this irregular as well you are likely to be not ovulating regularly if at all. It is quite possible as well to have periods without ovulating.

Why Harley Street as well; have you seen the subfertility unit locally?. If not why is this?. What is your GP like?.

You need proper help and advice from a caring subfertility unit be it NHS or private. You will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

Hey, I did that Clear Blue Digital Ovulation test thing, and now have dd2. I also didn't get a positive result when I did a test, but waited a few more days, and did a test in the morning, and I got a :) on the Clear Blue stick. Give it a few more days. My periods are between 32-36days in cycle. Buy some cheapy sticks 1st, then if you get a feint line, ur defo pg. The digital one was more used 4 date acurracy when I did it.
Although, I don't have PCOS, or any experience of it, just hoping some of my info helps x

Attilla is absolutely spot-on with all of this & I would just had that even if were regular & ovulated every month, you may not ovulate at all/when OPKs suggest you will, because environmental factors can throw your body out.

Good luck

Right, so the ovulation kits are pretty much pointless in my case? I guess that was a false positive then, sigh. Can you explain to me what the difference is between pco and pcos, you seem to know your stuff

I live in London, so Harley Street probably would be the most convenient private unit. It's not the location that's putting me off, it's the mounting costs of the treatment, although I suppose we could manage it by going into savings as I want this so badly. GP is not particularly helpful, always very rushed.

If a person has cystic follicles on the ovaries and no other symptoms then this could be seen as polycystic ovaries (PCO). PCOS the syndrome is basically polycystic ovaries with one or more other symptom for example irregular periods, acne or hirsuitism. Some women with PCOS are insulin resistant.

However PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. What may be an issue for one (hirsuitism) is not for another.

www.verity-pcos.org.uk may be a helpful website for you to look at.

If GP is unhelpful you may want to look into changing GP practice.

HTH, any other questions just ask.