PCOS & Ovulation

PCOS is the most common reason for women of reproductive age to not ovulate. The hormone imbalance of PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, leads to irregular cycles and not ovulating (anovulation). This makes it hard for women with PCOS to get pregnant. Ovulation problems and PCOS is what today’s episode is all about! So let’s get started Let’s start with…..What is Ovulation?Ovulation is the main event of your cycle. I know, maybe you are like me and thought the period was the main event of your monthly cycle but NOPE it’s ovulation.During the first part of your cycle FSH, Follicular Stimulating Hormone, rises to prepare a follicle into an egg, then LH, luteinizing hormone, spikes causing your body to ovulate….which  is when you release a mature egg that is ready for fertilization with sperm.  Signs and Symptoms of AnovulationCycles lasting longer than 35 days might be a sign that you are not ovulating.An irregular cycle or no menstrual cycle at all Absence of mid-cycle sore and tender breasts and possible cramping at time of ovulation.Lack of cervical mucus or no change in your cervical mucus throughout the monthAn irregular basal body temperature chart that doesn’t show a clear cycle patternNot getting pregnant after several months of trying to conceive.So How do you Know When you’re Ovulating?Unlike your period, ovulation is easy to miss. Very few women pay any attention to ovulation unless they are trying to get pregnant. In fact the first time you realize something isn’t quite right might have been when trying to conceiveIt’s completely natural to become more aware of your cycle when you want to get pregnant and this extra interest and attention to your monthly cycle is the first step to reversing your PCOS and also getting pregnant. Why am I Not OvulatingOk so you’ve determined that you are not ovulating each month or at all…..so why is this the case?There are several reasons for not ovulating. You might skip a month due to factors in your environment such as lack of sleep, stress or other short-term factors and this is of little concern. Consistently skipping ovulation is when it becomes a problem.There are reasons outside of PCOS that can cause anovulation but roughly 70% of cases are due to PCOS.The good news is that with a little assistance most women with PCOS get pregnant and have one or more children even without any fertility treatment and that is what this episode will learn more about. So go ahead, find a quiet space and listen now. A full list of Resources & References Mentioned can be found on the Episode webpage. Tracking your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Take the PCOS Root cause quiz to learn what your body needs to heal Get your FREE copy of the PCOS Fertility Meal guide