5 days of positive OPKs??

tryingyetagain

Have any of you continued to use OPKs after getting a positive, and then just kept getting positives?  I am on day 5 of dark positives (test line darker than the control line), and worried about what this could be (PCOS, not ovulating properly, etc.).  I did take a hpt this morning, and it was negative. 

I was originally supposed to have IUI #3 on Tuesday, but I had a natural surge on Sunday before I could trigger.  They gave us the option of moving the IUI to Monday, but DH and I decided to just cancel the IUI and try TI this month instead.  I'm glad now we did, because who knows when I may have ovulated, if at all.

I contacted my RE's office via email, and a nurse just called back and said both doctors are out today.  She said the OPKs must not work for me, and to stop using them.  She said I couldn't have a surge that is lasting this long.  She was nice but pretty dismissive about it, like I am crazy.  I am concerned it could be a sign of something bad, but I think she just assumed I don't know how to use the tests (been using them for years, pretty good at it by now!).  She said she would have a doctor call me tomorrow.

Anyone have any ideas on why I would still be surging strongly for 5 days?  I would really appreciate any insight anyone can offer.

MJC1116

The same thing happened to me one cycle! I decided to use the OPK instead of my clear blue monitor (I think I ran out of those sticks), and I had a surge for 6 days! It drove me crazy, so I called my RE and she did an ultrasound to determine if/when I ovulated. It turned out I didn't even ovulate during that time my OPK was picking up the surge, but actually much earlier. It was so frustrating.

 I completely know how you feel... with IF it seems like everything can be made into a bad sign, or at least that's what I always think. But my doctor didn't seem to worried about it, either. I don't think  it's necessarily a problem with you, but maybe an issue with the tests or maybe an indicator of their sensitivity. 

 I've read that women with PCOS have longer surges and higher levels of LH in their system, but I don't have PCOS and I still had that crazy long surge.

 I'm sorry I don't have any useful information for you, but I just wanted to tell you that I've had that happen to me too, and I understand exactly how you feel. Try to stay positive... maybe this will be your lucky month where you get to conceive on your own. Good luck! 

tryingyetagain

Thank you so much, this was actually very helpful.  The nurse didn't mention doing an u/s or b/w or anything, she just dismissed the whole thing.  I feel so alone in all of this, even DH just doesn't really get it.  It really helps to get some answers and support here.

If there is anyone else with info, please let me know!  Thanks!

mrsbnlmel

I totally understand your frustration. I never had much luck with OPK's at all. Even when I spent a ton on the damn smiley face one! I do have PCOS though. One of the usual markers for PCOS is LH/FSH levels that are 3:1 so with the elevated LH you can get + OPK's for days at a time. Elevated LH can mean a lot of things though, not just PCOS.  I would want a progesterone test and an u/s to see if you've actually ovulated at all like pp said.

I've also read that your body can, in times of stress, illness, etc. gear up to ovulate and then not actually do it. Then the body tries to ovulate again, surges again and the result is days of + opk's. I think it can be totally normal to just have an odd cycle once in awhile. Again though it does make you start to ask questions and that's not crazy at all. This is your money on the line for IUI's and a huge stress and toll on your family to deal with IF.

If it seems to be a pattern I would certainly ask for further testing. Especially if it's been awhile since your CD3 tests. And if you are doing IUI's I would just ask for closer monitoring with u/s to time the trigger and skip the OPK's all together. Good luck. I know it's so frustrating and as much as we love them DH can never totally understand what we go through. Hugs!

tryingyetagain

mrsbnlmel:

I totally understand your frustration. I never had much luck with OPK's at all. Even when I spent a ton on the damn smiley face one! I do have PCOS though. One of the usual markers for PCOS is LH/FSH levels that are 3:1 so with the elevated LH you can get + OPK's for days at a time. Elevated LH can mean a lot of things though, not just PCOS.  I would want a progesterone test and an u/s to see if you've actually ovulated at all like pp said.

I've also read that your body can, in times of stress, illness, etc. gear up to ovulate and then not actually do it. Then the body tries to ovulate again, surges again and the result is days of + opk's. I think it can be totally normal to just have an odd cycle once in awhile. Again though it does make you start to ask questions and that's not crazy at all. This is your money on the line for IUI's and a huge stress and toll on your family to deal with IF.

If it seems to be a pattern I would certainly ask for further testing. Especially if it's been awhile since your CD3 tests. And if you are doing IUI's I would just ask for closer monitoring with u/s to time the trigger and skip the OPK's all together. Good luck. I know it's so frustrating and as much as we love them DH can never totally understand what we go through. Hugs!

Thanks for the support, and info.  I am so frustrated with my RE and his nurses, who just blew off the whole thing and said it was fine and that I ovulated Monday.  They have no idea if I ovulated or not!!.  They didn't offer to test progesterone or anything else, and I didn't feel like demanding testing.  I am just tired of all of it.  I only email my RE maybe once a month with a question, so it's not like I'm a crazy hypochondriac that is driving them crazy with paranoia.  Ugh.

They actually did monitor me via u/s on Saturday. I had a large follicle (23) on the right plus two medium ones on the left. I don't have a tube on the right, so they were hoping my body would delay my natural surge until the two medium ones could get  to 19-20.  So the plan was that I would trigger on Sunday night for a Tuesday IUI.  But I surged early, Sunday morning.  So it wasn't that they weren't monitoring, just that the situation is further complicated because of only having one tube.

Maybe I'll get lucky and get pregnant this cycle and not have to deal with this anymore!

mrsbnlmel

I didn't mean to imply that they weren't monitoring you well enough, I hope I didn't sound that way!  We we're just ask to use OPK's in the beginning of our treatment cycles and it was a disaster, either multiple positives or none at all. I feel like we wasted so much time. But I can see that your situation is complicated for sure. I'm sorry. That must be so hard to know you're responding but on the wrong side and there is nothing you can do about it.

And I can totally relate to frustrations and just being sick of it all. I'm right there with you!  I really hope this month is it for both of us! 

tryingyetagain

mrsbnlmel:

I didn't mean to imply that they weren't monitoring you well enough, I hope I didn't sound that way!  We we're just ask to use OPK's in the beginning of our treatment cycles and it was a disaster, either multiple positives or none at all. I feel like we wasted so much time. But I can see that your situation is complicated for sure. I'm sorry. That must be so hard to know you're responding but on the wrong side and there is nothing you can do about it.

And I can totally relate to frustrations and just being sick of it all. I'm right there with you!  I really hope this month is it for both of us! 

No, I didn't take it that way at all!  Maybe this will be the month for a bunch of us! Thanks again!