Delayed ovulation... bad thing for boys?

[AboyMatey]

This is my first time making a post here, so please forgive me if I break any rules... I will promptly delete/edit.

I have been waiting it seems like FOREVER to ovulate! I haven't had many cycles this year due to a miscarriage, but they have been irregular, got regular last year, then got irregular again.

The first half of last year, they were anywhere from 32-37 days long (but I was breastfeeding).
The second half of last year, they were roughly 28-33 days long.
December 2017, I had a 22 day cycle. Not sure what happened there.
January, I got pregnant during a cycle where I ovulated on CD 26, but that ended in miscarriage at 7-8 weeks.
First cycle after miscarriage, I ovulated on CD 18 (so back to a 31 day cycle).
Now I'm on CD 17 and very impatiently waiting.

This is my first cycle that we are really trying to sway boy. I feel like all hope is lost with my cycle irregularities, but I'm just holding out til I get a positive LH strip. Any suggestions for my timing for my weird cycles? My hubby and I are going INSANE waiting like this. It's been since Friday for me, but he released on Monday (CD 15, in hopes that I ovulate on CD 18), but now I'm worried I'm gonna have a weird cycle, especially since I started the HE diet and that might throw things off. I'm having a ton of EWCM, but it got a little thick last night... plan to take some guaifenisin once I get a positive LH and chug water in the meantime.

[atomic sagebrush]

We don't worry too much about the rules around here.

Delayed ovulation can be associated with girl or boy conceptions depending on the reason they are irregular. Do you have PCOS or any tendencies that direction (trouble losing weight, muscular build, body hair?) What is your weight? Are you exercising a lot??

What I'd have hubby do is release today and then keep waiting. I suspect you will get that pos within the next few days but we don't want to end up having him go 5+ days between releases. Do not worry if he releases once and then you get a positive right away, it takes 7-10 releases in a row when you are NOT in the fertile window, for that to sway pink (and even then it doesn't work and we have practically given that up as a sway tactic) I know a lot of people have concern that they won't have a long enough period of abstain before their attempts in the fertile window but it's totally fine.

[AboyMatey]

I ended up getting a positive a few hours ago! So relieved! I guess I'm more regular than I thought I would be after my miscarriage!

I was diagnosed with PCOS prior to conceiving my first daughter, but later found out it wasn't so much that as low estrogen causing my uterine lining to be too thin for implantation (only spotted for 2-3 days for my periods)... one cycle of soy supplements and I was pregnant. My periods have been much more "normal" regarding flow since I gave birth, but my cycles still tend to be irregular. I was overweight (155-175), now I'm not (~140). No signs of hyperandrogenism like hair growth or lots of acne. I am muscular, but proportionate and also a bit curvy (I'm thick, but not fat). I don't exercise at all now. So I'm not exactly sure why I have irregular periods.

[atomic sagebrush]

What criteria did they use to diagnose you with PCOS?? (sorry, it's a little bit important for me to know if this is really a diagnosis or just a "doctor's guess")

[AboyMatey]

I had irregular cycles and "increased echogeninicity" on my ovaries on sonogram, which is suggestive of cysts. I'm pretty certain all my labs were WNL, even though that's not part of the diagnostic criteria. I didn't have any signs of hyperandrogenism whatsoever, so I'm pretty sure it was a really soft call. I went to a presentation about a year ago for bioidentical HRT, and one of the presenters was an OBGYN and said "You should assume that every single female that walks into your office has PCOS until proven otherwise. It's that common." I think that's a little extreme, but when dealing with fertility, it's honestly not a bad idea. Just rule that out and go form there. It IS really common. I don't think I had it, though. I'm just a late ovulator. When I'm at a healthy weight, I usually ovulate on CD 18 or 19.

BTW, I got a positive on Monday! HCG on Monday was 22 and on Wednesday was 101! My progesterone level was 22, so that makes me feel better about this pregnancy after my miscarriage in March. Thanks for all your help! Now I guess I'll just cross my fingers for a boy!

[atomic sagebrush]

People can have tendencies to get PCOS (and anywhere from 75% to 100% of us will develop PCOS if our lifestyles supported it strongly enough) without having it full blown. I actually like the way that doc thinks because we have a lot of gals come and go on the site who can't get pregnant and their doctors won't test them for ANYTHING till they've been trying for a year, and PCOS is a pretty easy fix so they waste a full year doing nothing when they could have gotten pregnant and had a baby in a years' time!!

Hugest congrats! So happy for you! Sending you tons of blue dust!