Ovulation / Charting / PCOS question

[InThisTogether]

Hi all,

I love this board - had some great advice on here but this is my first thread. I had a question that I'm hoping you ladies can help me with.

DH and I have been ttc#1 for about 18months. I've got PCOS though fairly regular periods (18 - 37 days) and I'm going to put on Clomid in February (Yay!). Ultrasound showed my right ovary has PCOS cysts, no evidence on the other thankfully. I've had an HSG and tubes are clear, and having used (cheap) opk's for about a year or so which are a bit hit-and-miss and I know can often give a false positive / negative with PCOS. I'm trying to ascertain if I do ov naturally at all.

Here's the question: I've been charting (using FF), using Agnus Castus and using the Clearblue OPK (with the smiley faces) this month and I think I've identified a clear OV peak temperature - standard ov pattern according to the books. Clearblue also did the little face showing peak ov. The (simple thing really) question is does this mean that I have ov'd or can PCOS produce this level of false positive? can I have the temp raise and the peak opk and still not ov?

Sorry if tmi, I've tried to find this on forums and not sure...
TIA x

Some PCOS patients do ovulate spontaneously and occasionally but many patients do require treatment.

I would ensure as far as possible that you are monitored in February when you start clomid. Insist on being monitored. This is because it is quite powerful stuff and no monitoring means that you have no idea whether its working or not otherwise. Its main job is to make the ovaries work harder.

You mention an ultrasound; have you had blood tests done recently as well to see what your LH and FSH levels are like in relation to each other?.

You can have a rise in temp in the second half of the cycle when an egg has not been shed so charting as a method anyway is not infallible. TBH at the stage you are at now, you are well beyond the stages of charting and using OPKs anyway.

Both charting and OPKs are uneasy bedfellows when PCOS is an issue; false positives on OPKs (particularly multiple positive results) are not unknown because these kits read the levels of LH. If there is an excess of this hormone to begin with which is commonly seen with PCOS as well the kit simply detects that. I also thought that kit stated that if PCOS is an issue usage of the kit was not recommended. I would therefore not waste any more of your hard earned cash on such things.

I would also lay off the AC particularly if you have been self medicating with it rather than seeing a properly qualified medical herbalist. This is because it can make any underlying hormonal problem worse.

thanks Attilla good advice, very helpful.
I'll stop the AC now and just learn to be patient... sigh
thanks for the reply!