Fertility Charting with PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Charting with PCOS – Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PCOS is a hormonal condition that can impact your fertility. Women with PCOS secrete higher than usual levels of androgens (male hormones) which may cause cysts to develop in the ovaries (hence the name). Women with PCOS may have irregular periods, no periods, long cycles or excessive bleeding during periods.
Charting your fertility when you have PCOS can be challenging because your cycles may be extremely unpredictable. Additionally, if you are being treated medically, you may be taking medication that can affect your cycle and fertility signs.
Although charting with PCOS can be challenging, charting your fertility signs may make an enormous difference to your pregnancy prospects since you will be able to identify more clearly when and if you ovulate and you will be able to take a break from trying (without worrying about missing a chance) once you see on your chart that ovulation is confirmed.
The most frequent challenge for women charting with PCOS is that cycles are often long, temperatures may be rocky, and you may observe several patches of seemingly fertile cervical fluid before ovulation is finally confirmed. To avoid missing a change to conceive, we recommend the following:

• Use multiple signs (at least cervical fluid and temperature) to confirm ovulation.
• Consider all egg white or watery cervical fluid as possibly fertile.
• Make sure your temperature rise is clear and sustained for several days before considering that ovulation has passed.

You may also find the following resources helpful:

• PCOS Information from the Mayo Clinic

Video Chart Interpretation:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw9yN_83uZ8]