Charting basal temperature?

[Premommy]

Have any of you done this? I learned about it more recently and saw many women on another forum doing this, to try and figure out when they're ovulating. I feel like I want to be doing something while I'm waiting for my preconception visit and then actually TTC, so I bought the thermometer and tried it two mornings now. I think I read the temp difference is like .5 on the day/day after you ovulate, so I'm wondering how worthwhile it is to do it (like if I'll actually do this right enough times in a row to catch a .5 difference). So far I haven't taken it at the exact same time like you're supposed to, and doing it half asleep is a riot. Lol

Just wondered if anyone else had tried it and if it helped!

[buttercup_97140]

Yup, what Esther said. I charted for years, and never really temped at the same time, but had consistent readings. You need to sleep at least 3 hours straight for your temp to be accurate. Yes, it's best at the same time of day, but being off an hour or two hasn't really made that big of a difference, in my case. You can also temp vaginally for a more accurate reading. If you sleep with your mouth open it can skew the temp. I know many women who temped vaginally, I think I even did it for a while, nothing to it really, just insert it deep enough to be covered. You can buy covers if you are grossed out about vaginal secretions.

Temping is amazing once you get the hang of it. You can see so much about your cycles. That book Esther recommended really tells you a lot. I never read it, but know millions of women have and from what I heard it's awesome!

Along with temping you can track your cervical mucous and cervical length. It's best to get the cervical mucous from your cervix since it can change as it goes down the vaginal canal. Also knowing your cervix can help you tell when AF is coming, when you are ovulating also. It take a bit to get use to, but once you get it, it's there. God made our bodies so amazing!!

Blessings,
Amber

[rachel]

Along with temping you can track your cervical mucous

This. Of all the charting, gadgets and so forth... being able to recognize peak cm day (the day before you ovulate generally) when it comes, and know when it's coming, has been the best thing. Charting can help figure that out. After paying close attention for a while, it became second nature. I don't chart anymore. To see ovulation, I watch for peak/wet day, Ov day's less so, and the dry off starting the next day for me to confirm. Occasionally I'll take a temp a week later or so, like today, for a 98.05 or whatever.. making sure it's nice and high. Very worthwhile to get to know your cycle, especially if it doesn't run exactly like clockwork.

[melinda]

Yes I used to chart, charting lets you know when you ovulated after you ovulated lol basically the day you get the temp spike shows you ovulated the day before, so hope you bd sometime before because it's over BUT it's good to do to figure out your cycle, and helps you figure out your luteal phase see how long and your lp never changes, I do cm and cervical position, you cervix changes during your cycle, so cm and cp will help you determine to prepare for ovulation(cp will let you know the day your ovulating) and temp will confirm that you did yesterday lol,

[Premommy]

So my new question is... How consistent are your temps supposed to be/does your temp only raise .5 typically or is it a more dramatic temperature difference? So far my temps have been in the 96s up to 97.5, usually on alternate days. Temping orally at the same time each morning. CM is on target (one day off, technically) for what it's supposed to be, and O is supposed to occur on Thursday, so I guess I'll know for sure then if I've got this down. Thanks for all the input, ladies!

ETA: Started tracking it in Fertility Friend, too, though the Period Tracker app on my iPad has been handier for entering it right away without getting out of bed.

[rachel]

Mine goes from where you're at now, to ~98.0ish. I always have a "slow rise", so it's not 97.5 one morning and then 98 the next, but some have a starker rise. Mine goes up a bit every day after O, until it's in the low 98. When my cycles were longer/irregular I would wait for the 98 to know it wasn't a fluke rise.

[buttercup_97140]

Everyone is different how they respond, it usually takes a while of charting to really see a pattern in your temps. I usually had a pre-ovulation dip the day before O and then I would see a pretty significant spike right away and then I would stay up until AF came. I think I can share my charts with you from my fertiltyfriend charts, just let me know if you want to look. I have many charts, some non-pregnant cycles, some preggo cycles with miscarriage, some preggo cycles with sticky babies, and I think I even have my first PP cycle after Emma. I charted for a long time, but I saw a pretty consistent pattern after a while. I do have low progesterone levels, so I have to take supplements for the first 12 weeks of my pregnancies, but my charts never really showed the low temps of low progesterone. With that said, we are all very different and respond to hormones different.

Blessings,
Amber

[buttercup_97140]

Here is my charts page. I have 30 charts on there, but the earlier ones are the ones I really temped with, so you will need to go down the page quite a bit to see some real temperature charts. I haven't charted in forever, but I think the one on there with a miscarriage and then we got preggo later in the cycle was the twins pregnancy. I don't think I even looked at a chart since then.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/buttercup_97140

I am just putting them here just in case you want to look, no pressure to look.

Blessings,
Amber

[Premommy]

Thank you, Amber! I'm still getting used to reading the charts so I can't comment much, but I appreciate you sharing so I have something to reference. Much less daunting than trying to compare with some random chart! lol According to my chart I'm supposed to O tomorrow. Temps have started to be consistently in the 96s, so I'm anxiously waiting to see if there is an increase tomorrow/over the next few days. Just coming off pills, I'm nervous about how quickly my body will re-regulate and if I'll ovulate this time or not. Of course I could be off in calculations since this is the first cycle not on the pill. Anyway. Preconception drs. appointment is one week from today, and I CAN'T WAIT so we can start trying! Thanks again for all your input, ladies. It sure helps to have support and experienced advice as I go through this. Really appreciate it!

[buttercup_97140]

Anytime dear one, been there and have been the one just trying to figure it all out. Remember that some women get preggo if they just miss a dose or two of the pill, so you can be anywhere from there to needing months to regulate. The Lord knows your desires and knows when and who your family needs. I hope your appointment goes well!

Blessings,
Amber