GP bloods, OPK and DH stress (and other stuff!)

[alittleindecisive]

Hello all you knowledgeable people,
I was just wondering if you would be able to give me some advice... I am going to my GPs to have day 1, 5, and 21 bloods taken next cycle. I think that at least day 1 or 5 will be at a weekend, so they will be closed. So does it matter if they are a couple of days late? And what are they testing for? Also, I have PCOS so my cycles aren't 28 days, normally averaging 35 but anywhere from 32 to 39 is normal for me. Does this affect them? Also, my GP suggested that I should be using OPKs, which I (kind of) did this month, first thing in the morning like the packet said, I only missed a couple of days but I never got a smiley face at all. Does this mean I am not ovulating? I really hate the whole OPK thing as it makes me constantly think about TTC and I find it really stressful rather than just take a more relaxed approach and just shag as much as poss round about the right time ie shag week and then when we feel like it the rest of the time. Does this mean I am not ovulating despite having relatively regular periods? My doctor also suggested charting temps etc, but this would seriously stress me out. I know this all sounds a little OTT but we have a time limit due to other medical conditions, so while I feel that I should be doing everything possible, it is causing an awful lot of stress.
Sorry for the rant, I just feel terribly alone in all of this and while my GP is doing her best at steering me into obsessive behaviour, DH just wants to shag when he feels like it (normally once a week when not TTC, although he is putting a little bit more effort in now, which although it only takes once, isnt really going to give us the best chance. And he reacts very badly to pressure, and
while I realise he is not a performing seal or anything, if something is telling us that we have to shag NOW, he will not react well to that.
So I really feel stuck in the middle of them both
Please can someone give me some advice?
Thanks

Fellow PCOSer here. When and how were you dx'd with PCOS.

If you already have a PCOS diagnosis I was wondering why the GP is doing the blood tests rather than the hospital's subfertility unit. PCOS is not something that should be messed around with by GPs and many of them are ignorant when it comes to PCOS (her comment re the OPKs being one example of such ignorance).

It will not make any overall difference to the results if the day 2 is done a day or so later. What you must ensure when you receive the result of this particular test is that they have checked and compared the LH level against that of your FSH level as with PCOS there is often more LH than FSH.

Your GP is wrong with regards to the OPKs - they are truly a waste of money when PCOS is concerned as the kit reads the excess LH level that is in your bloodstream so gives you a false positive result. False multiple positive results are also commonly seen. Do not use such things; temp charting is also very problematic when PCOS is concerned so it is best not to do that either.

It is also quite possible to have periods without ovulating; having PCOS makes that scenario far more likely.

You should be referred as a couple now, do not let the GP further mess around.

Best thing re the sex is to not use anything like OPKs and temps etc and make love when you both feel like it. Two or three times a week throughout the month is okay and you need to banish from your mind any thoughts of it being possible ovulation time because it likely is not and it is all so easy to get that particular date wrong. Timing of intercourse does the relationship no favours whatsoever. Ovulation is not an exact science and a woman can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

Thanks Attilla, I was diagnosed about 10 years ago with an USS, then only having periods once every few months, so now better than that, but she has not referred us as we've only been trying for a couple of months, but we do have a probable time limit with other medical stuff going on, so thought the bloods would be a good idea to get an idea what is going on with my cycles / hormones, maybe get another scan done without too much stress, and I know that DH would not appreciate the assumption that we are going to have difficulty conceiving without being given a chance to do it normally as it were, and TBH I agree with him, but wouldn't mind having my PCOS further investigated. She is actually a very good GP... it was another that I think I will avoid who suggested obsessive OPK / charting etc. What sort of investigations is normally done for PCOS?
Thanks muchly