OPK best to be used with PCOS

[Mump_hopeful]

hiya

im trying to predict ovulation but my cycle is so up in the air that i never know if and when i am and im just judging by a "normal" cycle.

Ive used OPK before the clear blue digital but i did it for a whole month and nothing showed at all on lots of i read somwhere that PCOS suffers can sometime not show ovulation due to hormone imbalance so i was wondering if any ladies with PCOS use OPK and if so which ones work for you??

Thanks x

 

[Natashaa1]

Hi Opk's don't always work when you have pcos. I'd suggest taking one of these too approaches either BD every other day or 3 times a week then you'll always be covered and pinpointing O doesn't matter or BBT and record changes in you CM so you can predict ovulation and confirm with you temperature dip -fertility friend has a good app to do thus and track and you can do it on your phone.

 

[heres_hoping]

As above....plus I use the cheap internet ones, a couple of pounds for about 30, so you aren't spending loads. I find I get lots of near-positives.....last cycle for the first time I got an actual positive which actually corresponded with ovulation! It was my first cycle on metformin.

 

[pinksprinkles]

OPK's generally don't work super well with PCOS no matter which one you use. Women with PCOS generally have a higher LH level to begin with, especially if you have lots of cysts. The other issue is that when you have PCOS you can have an LH surge but not have any developed eggs or even ovulate the ones you do have. It's confusing and frustrating for sure.

For PCOS the best way to figure out if you're O'ing is by checking you CM and CP, but even that may not work all the time since estrogen can be out of whack.

Your best bet is to BD every other day until you've confirmed O. BBT charting can definitely work for many PCOS women (it works extremely well for me), or you can get a blood progesterone test at your OBGyn/midwife/hospital.

I do use OPK's just so that if there is a surge my RE can quickly get me in for an u/s and bw if it happens before it should. I got one "false" positive last month when I had an LH surge with no developed follicles. So far, the cheap tests do not work at all for me (sometimes no line at all, sometimes tons of positive every day for weeks). Half of the cheapies I've ever ordered have been totally faulty when compared with bw results. The only tests I've found work well enough are the First Response OPK's. You can order them most cheaply from Walmart.

 

[Mump_hopeful]

thanks ladies,

i had read that OPK dont usually work for PCOS but twanted to cover all aspects! (dont want to miss anything out) i think in goin to try a do my BBT but this is going to sound a little silly... could somewhere explain what im supposed to do! i dont want to be doing it all wrong and miss my chance!

xxx

 

[pinksprinkles]

BBT charting is more for confirming ovulation than for figuring out when you are going to O. With BBT you know if you BD'd on the right days, what dpo you are on, when to expect AF or a BFP, etc. Checking cervical mucus and cervical position are good for predicting O before it occurs. Of course, BD'ing every other day is the absolute best way to make sure your bases are always covered.

I chart CM, CP, and BBT together, and it REALLY helps me know what is going on.

Here is a guide I wrote for temping: https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/t...did-o-ladies-ovulation-bbt-temping-guide.html

 

[Kimiw]

My RE told me to use clearblue OPK's because they have been proven to be the most accurate. I have seen that to be true (I have PCOS) and they never left me wondering if it was truly positive or not. When they were positive they were POSITIVE, no mistaking. I was on clomid during the time but still. There was NO question that I was Oing because I wound up with a bfp (miscarried at 6 weeks). But it is true, OPK's are typically not recommended for women with PCOS beause our LH is all screwed up.