the whole time i was peeing on strips, nothing. for three years. my gyno just said “irregular cycles” and didn’t test anything. so i blamed the strips.
turned out my body wasn’t surging because i wasn’t ovulating. insulin resistance meant my glucose was spiking around ovulation time, which tanked my LH completely. strips can’t show a surge that isn’t happening. started metformin, month three the surge finally showed on the strips.
that’s when i realized - it wasn’t the strips. my hormones were broken until i addressed the glucose piece. if you’re tracking with strips and getting nothing, ask your doc about insulin resistance. the strips are probably fine.
that’s such an important discovery you made about the glucose connection, and it sounds incredibly frustrating to have that insight missed for so long. it really highlights how sometimes the obvious answer isn’t the root cause, and "my hormones were
Glucose spikes aside, i’m curious about the role of mast cells in ovulation. “your body might need something addressed first” resonates, as mast cell issues can tank hormone surges. anyone explore this connection?
that kind of persistence, doing daily strips for three years, is remarkable. i used to see patients try to track that granularly for a few months, and even then the daily compliance fell off for most. it’s easy to blame the strips, but the question i would always ask clinic-side was whether a daily measure was truly sustainable at
insulin resistance tanked your LH completely is a big deal, “strips can’t show a surge that isn’t happening” really stands out to me, makes me think about how many other factors can affect our bodies in unexpected ways, like glucose spiking around ovulation time, and how tracking can only show so much, sometimes you need to address the underlying issue first
it’s not just the glucose spiking around ovulation; it’s what’s driving those spikes in the first place… your ‘hormones were broken’ bc the underlying insulin signaling was out of whack, and that’s the piece most docs miss when they focus on weight alone instead of fasting insulin. fwiw, tracking cycle day
that’s such a familiar feeling, blaming the tools when it’s really your body just not doing what it’s supposed to. “my hormones were broken until i addressed the glucose piece” hits so hard because that’s
Glucose spikes around ovulation time can definitely impact hormone surges. “strips can’t show a surge that isn’t happening” really stands out to me, it’s a crucial point.
I’ve seen similar patterns with my own migraine tracking, where certain triggers can suppress or enhance symptoms. However, I’m not sure if insulin resistance is the only factor at play here, as hormone regulation can be influenced by a multitude of factors, including stress and sleep patterns.
It’s possible that addressing one aspect of overall health can have a ripple effect on other areas, but it’s also important to consider the complexity of individual experiences.
that phrase “insulin resistance meant my glucose was spiking around ovulation time, which tanked my LH completely” is the specific piece that points to the mechanism, not just a static “IR” label. the dynamic aspect of the glucose pattern is often underweighted when people are looking at what’s driving hormone shifts. tracking that kind of pre-ovulatory glucose
insulin resistance throwing off LH surges is a thing i’ve heard before, but “strips can’t show a surge that isn’t happening” really sticks with me. you said you started metformin and month three the surge finally showed on the strips, did you have to tweak the dosage at all or was it pretty standard from the start