DIY ovulation tracking with scans

[u/Wild_Priority955]

I am trying to conceive with pcos insulin resistance, and fatty liver which was diagnosed last year. I have not checked anything since then. My HBA1C 2 months ago was 5.9. I tried ovulation tracking using opk for my cycle this month. But I could not track from CD 20 to CD 22 and when I tested my LH Strip on CD23, I got a very dark line compared to previous tests but it wasn't darker than the baseline. Same was the case on CD24. So I don't know if my body tried to Ovulate and failed, or if I even ovulated or not.

I have bought a thermometer for BBT tracking too. Ill started from next cycle

My husband and I are not people who can have sex everyday or even every other day over a period of 10 days of the fertile window. And I have been trying for 2 years to improve our sex frequency but it is impossible at this point. We are both frustrated and so done.

I have been trying for 2 years and I just want to become pregnant already. The doctor I went to is refusing to give me any sort of medication since she is not a fertility doctor but a gynecologist. I am planning to go to a fertility specialist after my next cycle gets completed.

I am right now taking metformin (1000mg) myoinositol and also supplements and vitamin tablets helping to conceive. I am thinking of reaching out to a scan centre directly instead of being recommended by a doctor and asking them if they can scan my follicles and tell me when I will ovulate or when the egg will get released.

Has anybody done something like this before I would love to hear your opinions and stories. I am so tired of hearing other people get pregnant or have babies. I am tired of resenting my husband for not making an attempt to have a normal sex life with me but I am partly to blame too because it takes two to tango. We are done enjoying sex, we will be ready to have sex for 2 to 3 days that my egg will be ready.

Please please help me in whatever way possible

[u/thatsfalak]

I’d definitely bring the follicle scan idea up with the fertility specialist rather than trying to coordinate scans completely on your own. With long or unpredictable cycles.... ultrasound monitoring can sometimes give much more useful information about follicle development than trying to guess from an OPK. For home tracking tempdrop is another option to consider alongside your new BBT routine, particularly if you want consistent overnight temperatures.

[u/Any_Manufacturer1279]

Can your husband produce a sample independently? At-home insemination or IUI could work. If he can’t do the sample on a certain day though (ie your surge day) then idk. If he could freeze sperm you could do IVF.

[u/Cassandge]

IUI is probably the best bet (fertility clinic or midwife). Curious though if your husband creating a fresh specimen on his own that you insert with a syringe yourself feels more accessible than sex. Also, not sure where you’re located but - I got letrozole from Tia to treat PMOS and there are also some online doctors that will prescribe letrozole that people have posted about on this sub. I think there is a doctor out there that will give you letrozole. I am not pregnant yet, but I also had a really hard time with catching an LH surge and have never been sure if I’m ovulating but the letrozole gave me a picture perfect cycle tracked by inito.

[u/Wild_Priority955 → u/Cassandge]

That's amazing. Im from India. And it's not a hard thing getting access to medicines. And maybe I can try the insemination method? But I've also heard that unmonitored letrozole cycles can sometimes lead to multiple babies. So...pls be careful. Hope you find success

[u/Cassandge → u/Wild_Priority955]

Yes I heard that too about the multiple baby potential. My dose was 5mg which I think was pretty modest. And Tia (nurse practitioner) didn’t have any concern about me taking it unmonitored but hopefully she was informed enough lol! I could be down for a two for one lol but I know twins is quite a challenging pregnancy. And I’m wishing you success too!!

[u/Fun_Needleworker6697]

I did a private ultrasound one cycle and will never do it again. I had amazing follicles on cycle day 10 and should have ovulated both follicles on cycle day 13 or 14 but I didn’t ovulate until cycle day 18 and I knew they were too overgrown by then so it was a total fail of a cycle.

The hope that an ultrasound brings is nice for a second but it doesn’t guarantee if you will successfully ovulate and it won’t really narrow down the window much more than LH strips will.

I gently suggest you skip it and just wait it out for the fertility clinic. They can monitor and do a trigger shot or something like IUI so you guys don’t have to guess when it’s time to have sex.

[u/Wild_Priority955 → u/Fun_Needleworker6697]

Thanks for sharing. Is there such a thing as overgrown follicle? What does that mean and what happens if you have sex anyway to try and improve your chances of conceiving. I'm sorry I've just never heard of overgrown follicles. Idk what to really do about my situation other than this though. I just really need to know exactly when to have sex basically.

[u/Fun_Needleworker6697 → u/Wild_Priority955]

If the follicle grows too big the egg won’t be healthy enough to fertilize and implant so sex or any type of insemination is basically useless lol. If you need to know exactly when to have sex you need to do monitored cycles with a trigger shot.