Do I ovulate?

[sleepinggiraffe]

I get positive opks and I get cycles... not regular but I get them. 14 days from a positive opk I get my cycle

Planning to ttc via private sperm donation for dc2 but have PCOS and as it's not a relationship I can't just hop into bed often and hope to catch that I'm wondering if I can be sure I am ovulating or if I need to look into fertility treatment while going down this route e.g. iUI

You’ll need to have your bloods tested to check you’re ovulating. You can get regular positive opks and not be ovulating at all as all the opk does is tell you when you’re having an LH surge. You’ll need to ask your GP for 21 day bloods

Bubblegum is right, but be mindful that you will need to take the ‘21’ day test as per the cycle length. I took the 21 day test via my GP and it as negative for ovulation but the fertility specialist said it would have been at 21 days due to me having a 32 day cycle

I agree you need day 21 bloods for progesterone level to know if you ovulate. It's considered a level above 30 confirms ovulation. Day 21 actually means 7 days before your period is due so if your cycle is 32 days you'd have bloods on day 25.

I was told by my fertility consultant to use the clear blue ovulation kit with the smiley face on, my cycle is 28 days so I have to do it on day 21 (I used to rely on an app on my phone to help with dates which turned out to be wrong!)

The consultant also said they could offer a blood test too, I chose to try the ovulation kit.

I used the monitor years ago and later found out it wasn't accurate in PCOS... not sure if opks are but I know I bleed 14 days after a positive which is why I thought I probably was

I used the Clearblue kits for 6 months, got flashing and static smilies every month. Regular periods ever since I started. Blood tests showed erratic ovulation, some months yes, some months no. So they are a good indicator but be careful if you rely on them alone.

OPKs and PCOS are uneasy bedfellows; infact OPKs are not recommended to be at all used if PCOS is present. These kits read LH levels; if the level of LH is too high to begin with (which is often the case with PCOS) the kit simply reads that and gives you a false positive result.

I would also look at having day 3 tests done to see what your LH and FSH levels are like compared to each other. Day 21 is only a part of the overall picture.

It is also possible to have periods without ovulating; with PCOS that scenario is even more likely. Spontaneous ovulation occasionally is possible but many women with this condition do need some help in order to conceive (and IUI is not likely to help much either because that does not address the problem of the cystic follicles on the ovaries).

I don't know what to do in this scenario now. It's not a relationship... need to know when I'm ovulating.

It does usually match up with EWCM when I get a positive opk

It sounds like you need blood tests and some specialist advice.

Temping / charting might be worth a try in the meantime though?

kindara.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/224932048-Charting-with-PCOS
www.fertilityfriend.com/Faqs/Fertility-Charting-with-PCOS---Polycystic-Ovary-Syndrome.html

Went to the gp today and I have a form for the 21 day blood test which I will take 7 days from when I think I am next due on