Basal Body Temp charting

[nicoleE]

Hello, we are planning on TTC starting June and are just doing all the bits and pieces we can now. It is quite exciting because I have wanted children for sooooo long and it is finally starting to happen :smiliedance: (I am nearly 28 and have just got married in January so this is the natural next step for us)

We want to try for a boy using the basics of the Shettles method (hey, if it doesnt work, it doesnt, as long as the baby is healthy! We thought we would see it as a challenge, something fun). I have purchased a BBT thermometer from the chemist (i forget the brand but it is a 2 decimal point digital one) and have been using it for 3 days now. I am 8 days from the begining of my last period. However that was a result of going off of the pill so fingers crossed :fingerscrossed: i have a normal cycle. I have been taking the temp in the morning before getting out of bed and obviously so far my temps have been pretty much the same 36.44oC from memory (I am writing them down however the paper is at home next to my bed!)

I have a few questions: :D

1) - Will it matter that much if I dont take it at the same time? I get up at 5:45 for work every day but I dont exactly want to wake up at that time on a weekend! Is it ok as long as I take it when I wake up (before i get out of bed etc)??

2) - If my body is going to cycle 'normally' will I eventually see a significant spike in temperature or will my temp be everywhere and a spike will be there somewhere? I have looked at a couple of other temp charts on fertilityfriend and they looked all over the place and I couldnt tell when they would have ovulated!

3) - Becuase we are trying for a boy we need to pinpoint as close as possible when I am going to ovulate. From what I understand if my body is going to go into a regular cycle if i track my temp/ovulation for a couple of months i should see a pattern occuring, therefore i should know in advance when i will ovulate in the next cycle. Is this correct?

4) - Will the spike in temp showup after, before or on the day of ovulation?

5) - Should I use another form of ovulation test kit (such as a stream test) also to pinpoint it or not? The lady in the chemist said I wouldnt need one and that the BBT recording will tell me exactly when I am ovulating.


Sorry about all the questions! I hope someone will be able to answer them all! :hugs:

[Jacki]

Hi nicoleE and welcome!

I can answer a couple of your questions. You should try and take your temperature at the same time everyday, but I agree you don't want to wake up at 5:45 on the weekend! Your temperature rises by 0.5 degrees by each 1/2 hour, for example if you took your temperature on Saturday at 6:45 and it was 36.6 - record it as 36.5.

Your temperature dips before ovulation and rises afterwards. You need to BD before ovulation so look out for the egg white CM which is when your most fertile.

An excellent book is 'Natural Fertility' by Francesca Naish, this gives you a great understanding of your cycle.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[nicoleE]

Thanks guys....

It is looking like my temp is starting to drop so hopefully it continues. This is my first cycle off of the pill (after being on it for 14 years) so I am hoping everything is going to do what it is meant to do as neither of my sisters has a regular cycle and has had troubles (for one reason or another) getting pregnant. I remember mum telling us when we were teenagers to be careful as she got pregnenat really easilly (which is true), best contraception you can give a teenager! Lol, worked a treat. I will be telling my kids that even if it isnt true! :D

Anyway, i do have a question!

On fertilityfriend do they take the time into consideration when they chart it? I know you enter the time in but do they alter the temp. I think you are suppposed to take of .5oC for ever 30 minutes later than usual you took the temp, right?

[nicoleE]

Thanks for that, I have converted a couple of temps that were done when I woke up later (no way i am getting up at 5:45 on the weekends!)

My chart is starting (hopefully it will be in my signature below now), I am hoping the slight dip will continue on and mean i am about to ovulate soon as I think I am due around the 23rd (at a guess since this is my first cycle off the pill).

:yelclap: :fingerscrossed:

[nicoleE]

have no idea how to track CP and havnt really been tracking CM, i just dont seem to have much to be looking at! :o

[nicoleE]

lol, it wasnt the best reading for eating my afternoon snack of yoghurt! lol

Seriously, thanks for all your help.... :hugs:

[nicoleE]

YAY, big drop today in my temp! Good sign that I am going to have a normal cycle!

:yelclap:

(fertility friend chart link below)


Do others bother testing their temp during their period or after an obvious drop and rise of ovulation (at the correct time in the cycle)?

[nicoleE]

to be honest I havent even thought about it. After work i go straight to the gym and then come home for tea (about 8) and from then on its a bit of a rush! I will remember to check it all out eventually!

I do REALLY appreciate your help :)

[Jamily]

Hi Nicole

Thanks to a early rising 9 month old I tend to get up anywhere between 5.30am and 6.30am so I just take my temp as soon as I wake and plot it onto FF without taking into account if I have woken earlier or later. So far I don't think its made too much of a difference to seeing O.

Please feel free to have a look:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/113c3d

I have just started charting CM too and didn't think I would be able to work it out at all, but after a full cycle and a bit its making sense.

I was using a maybebaby but might as well throw it in the bin as I never get ferning - ever! Its fairly obvious that I am O'ing so suspect I'm one of those people it doesn't work for.

I temp during AF just to keep me in the habit of temping!

Good luck :)

[nicoleE]

My temp started to rise again today.... (see chart).I have been taking at the same time and those times that were a different time (only 2) I have used the function in FF for adjusting them. Basically over the last 9 days it has been:
36.37
36.38
36.44
36.36
36.44
36.38
36.35
36.16
36.23

This has made a short drop and now what looks to be a gradual rise, I guess a question like "is this normal" is a silly one as we are all different but I am keen to pinpoint ovulation firstly as in a couple of months time it will be a key to conception (we are trying for a boy so will need to pinpoint it closely) and I am also keen to find out if infact i seem to be having a normal cycle with ovulation. I look at some charts out there and they are all over the place, mine seems quite dull! ;)

Oh well, here's hoping my temp continues to rise now.

I tried to check CM but there isnt really much there to be able to tell from, i think after stopping the pill i have been a bit 'dry', is that common? I havent even been of it a month yet so perhaps my body needs more time to get back to as nature intended..?
(P.S I hope no one stumbles across this site that knows me [from my name, location and tell tale cat picture!], I cant believe i am talking about this stuff publicly! lol I know its all natural etc. I guess throughout the pregnancy and birthing process you loose all dignity anyway so I may aswell start letting it all go now! :D )

[nicoleE]

So you think I have ovulated? would confirmation be getting my period in 14 (now 13) days time?

I guess it all seems too good to be true that everything is working normally especially this early after stopping the pill!

[nicoleE]

Hope you have had a positive O reading Karen.

My temp went up to 36.67 today so it is on the rise. Hopefully it continues the next couple of days!

Gee there are so many mini hurdles to hope to get over, and this is just the begining, as this all gets serious and into conception those hurdles will only get bigger. :fingerscrossed: for everyone out there that all your dreams come true!

[nicoleE]

Oops, typo, it was 36.37!

[nicoleE]

that would be cool, but no sorry we are not trying at the moment (couldnt anyway as Hubby is in Melb for the games!)

We are going to start trying in June, I cant wait!

I really want to get an understanding of the O time as we are trying our best for a boy :D

[nicoleE]

he's just watching... he does run though in professional meets (and is an AFL umpire) so is watching the athletics with particular interest. He knows a guy competing from his running meets

[nicoleE]

lol, yeah i know what you are talking about, we went to NZ for our honeymoon in Jan/Feb and they love to beat the AUssies! lol

I didnt really feel compelled to go, plus someone has to look after the cat! :D

Better go, we are moving buldings at work so i wont be online much today. I might email you leter on. Love the chats and help.

[nicoleE]

Well now im all confused! I tested my temp today at 8am (normally test at 5:45) and technically it was continuing on the upward rise (36.43) however when I went to 'correct' it in fertility friend to adjust for the time difference it was much lower (36.18). I read up on the site about temperature adjusting and they said they dont recommend it as everyone is different, so i unadjusted the couple of other temps in my chart.

Does anyone else adjust their temperatures?


In any case i think i will set the alarm tomorrow morning and test it at 5:45 just to be sure!

[Jacki]

Yes I adjust mine.

Monday to Friday I wake at 6am. Saturday and Sunday I wake at 7am, so for the weekend temps I round them down.

For example this morning my temperature was 37.1 but I recorded it at 37.0.

Quote from 'Natural Fertility Management' by Francesca Naish:
Temperature Adjustment Rule
If you rise earlier than usual, adjust the temperature up by 0.05C for each half hour before recording it. If you rise later than usual, adjust the temperature down by 0.05C for each half hour before recording it.

I know Fertility Friend doesn't recommend this but it's always worked for me, however still waiting for the elusive BFP!

[nicoleE]

Well I adjusted it to your methods Jacki, .1 for every hour (.05 for 30mins) later. I am so confused though, depending on what method for adjusting or if i dont adjust at all my chart looks so different every time i change it!
At the moment it is looking like I have not ovulated. (i think!) From what i can tell the rise in temp after my dip wasnt large or long enough to confirm ovulation. It could be possible that I have not ovulated, this is the first cycle off the pill (after being on it for about 14 years), I have heard that this is quite common... isnt it!!??
:confused:

[nicoleE]

im still confused but i have decived to not alter any of my previous results now, it looks more stable unaltered, perhaps i am one of those people thats temps dont alter that much....?

ive decided to just set my alarm at 5:45 on the weekends also so i can always take a reading at the same time. i might also take another one when i get up for real (i will be going back to sleep after the 5:45 reading!) and see if it differs much.

Even though i had a dip in my temp and my temp went went up afterwards, it didnt go up above my normal temp, it was still low (but not as low as my dip), I assume at this stage it could mean anything! (as we are all different). Oh well... I just have to wait another week to see if i get my period... :(

[mamabear]

I used the basal body temp in the first months that we were TTC and kept a chart for about 6 months. Unfortunately it didn't help us to conceive but it was a really good guide for the doctors to acknowledge that I was fertility challenged from the beginning and we were able to get a wriggle on with all the tests etc rather than wiaitng for at least 12 months.

Good luck!!