Women withpolycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) sometimes wonder how it will affect their ability to get pregnant. It’s a complex question because there are many variables and few guarantees.
Numerous factors can influence your odds of pregnancy, including the age and general health of you and your partner. When you have PCOS, how well you manage your condition also plays a huge role.
This article discusses how people with PCOS can approach conceiving.
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How Long It May Take to Get Pregnant
If you are under 35, ovulate regularly, and you and your partner have no other medical conditions that affect your fertility, the likelihood is that pregnancy will occur within a year and probably sooner. This is true whether you have PCOs or not.
If either you or your partner has other medical conditions that affect your fertility, like alow sperm countorendometriosis, it may take longer than a year.
Most experts recommend that you seek treatment if you are not pregnant after one year of trying if under the age of 35.If you are over 35, that number drops to six months.
If you do not get regular periods or have other fertility problems, like endometriosis, seek help right away from a reproductive endocrinologist.
How to Know If You Are Ovulating Regularly With PCOS
Factors That Can Boost Fertility
If you have PCOs and want to boost the chances of pregnancy, adopting a healthy lifestyle is key. This includes:
Studies have consistently shown that people with PCOS who live a healthy lifestyle tend to have regular periods and, as a result, higher rates of conception. Even modest weight loss helps.
For those who ovulate normally, having sex during the “fertile window” (five days leading up to and including ovulation) also boosts the chances of conception.
RecapQuitting cigarettes, losing excess weight, exercising regularly, reducing alcohol, and getting ample sleep increase the odds of normal ovulation and, in terms, your chances of pregnancy if you have PCOS.
Recap
Quitting cigarettes, losing excess weight, exercising regularly, reducing alcohol, and getting ample sleep increase the odds of normal ovulation and, in terms, your chances of pregnancy if you have PCOS.
How to Detect Ovulation
If you are trying to conceive and have regular periods, there are several things you can do to get pregnant faster. The most important thing is to make sure you are timing intercourse accurately. In the end, if sperm isn’t meeting an egg at the right time during your cycle, pregnancy cannot occur.
There are several strategies you can use to identify and monitor your fertile window.
Basal Body Temperature
One of the best ways to identify your fertile window is to take your temperature first thing every morning before you even get out of bed. This is referred to as your basal body temperature (BBT).
After several months of charting, you should notice subtle changes in your BBT over the course of your cycle that can be helpful in predicting ovulation. After the egg is released, the BBT typically increases to between 97.6 F and 98.6 F.
Ovulation Predictor Kit
Ovulation predictor kits look for a rise inluteinizing hormone(LH). This is the hormone responsible for triggering ovulation. To use the kit, you would urinate on a test stick each morning starting a few days before ovulation is set to occur.
A positive result indicates that ovulation is imminent and that you should start having sex regularly.
As useful as the kits are, they have their limitations in people with PCOS. Because PCOS can sometimes cause persistently high levels of LH, the test may show a false positive reading (meaning that youaren’t pregnant even if the test says that you are). For this reason, it is important to speak with your doctor before using an ovulation kit if you have PCOS.
What to Know About Ovulation Kits If You Have PCOS
Cervical Mucus Changes
Monitoring your cervical mucus is another way to check for your fertile window.Changes in your cervical mucuscan signal impending ovulation.
As ovulation nears, the mucus will go from being thick and dry to being wet, stretchy, and slippery. Many people describe the consistency as being that of raw egg whites. After ovulation, the cervical mucus will go back to being thick and dry.
Summary
If you have PCOS, you can still expect to conceive within a year (or even less) as long as you are ovulating normally and have no other risk factors for infertility. If you do, it may take longer or require the input of a fertility specialist.
Arguably, the best ways to boost the odds of normal ovulation—and, in turn, your chances of conceiving—is to make healthy choices. This includes quitting cigarettes, exercising regularly, losing excess weight, cutting back on alcohol, and getting plenty of rest.
A Word From Verywell
If you have difficulty detecting ovulation on your own, ask your healthcare provider for assistance using a blood test called aday-21 progesterone testand atransvaginal ultrasoundwhich can predict ovulation based on changes in thefollicleswithin the ovaries.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Female age-related fertility decline.Sharma R, Biedenharn KR, Fedor JM, Agarwal A.Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: taking control of your fertility.Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:66. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Female age-related fertility decline.Sharma R, Biedenharn KR, Fedor JM, Agarwal A.Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: taking control of your fertility.Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:66. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Female age-related fertility decline.Sharma R, Biedenharn KR, Fedor JM, Agarwal A.Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: taking control of your fertility.Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:66. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Female age-related fertility decline.
Sharma R, Biedenharn KR, Fedor JM, Agarwal A.Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: taking control of your fertility.Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2013;11:66. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66
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