high bbts - anyone?

[onetrumpeter]

Just wondering if anyone else has high BBTs relative to the normal range (around 97.xish, IIRC).

My pre-ov range is around 98.3 or 98.4 and post-ov is around 98.8 or so. Of course there are fluctuations, but I guess I'm giving the mean? median? mode? lol - my poor DH - he did teach math at one point!

Anyway, I've posted before about my weirdness - I had much more normal temps prior to giving birth to our second child (2/2009) but everything since his birth (and I've not nursed him, sadly, I-think-unrelated story) has been high.

Anyone? I read about low temps, but just wondering if anyone has high temps. I have an appt w/ our local pro-life/NFP friendly OB practice and sort of hope they'll do bloodwork. No big signs of hyPERthyroidism - trouble losing weight, in fact but these high temps are so bizarre to me, esp since it's a shift from what I had.

Thanks

[HulaJenn]

I'm not sure if that just means you have some good progesterone going on? I don't know if there is concern in that? The opposite for sure can be concerning. I know after pregnancy the body sort of "resets" itself so, for sure, it isn't surprising to have changes in your chart or coverline range. I hope you get the info you need from your doc!

[onetrumpeter]

forgot to mention

HulaJenn, thanks for the thoughts re: progesterone... that'd be interesting - and a relief It just seems so weird to me.

I forgot to mention - I can still express (that's almost an exageration - it's more like *squeeze* out, lol) some colostrum(?) or something. Sadly we put DS on formula at 14 days and I pumped down within a week or so, so it's not like he was nursing a few months ago. I'll bring this up w/ the doc, too.

Anyway, I wonder what that indicates about my hormone levels, or is that remotely normal?!

[onetrumpeter]

just bumping my question up a bit - I'm on day 10(? 11? can't recall right now) and my temps are still hovering around 98.3 - I'm having fertile mucus so hope ovulation is soon.

Anyway, it's sort of plaguing my brain - what is UP w/ my high temps. I've got a doc appt in just over two weeks. I am trying to really chart all details - slight vag cramping I've been having (interesting in reading other people's ovulation sensations - I'm thinking it's tied to that) and hope the doc is really able to pinpoint a reason or assure me I'm normal.

I keep thinking "what if we couldn't conceive again?" which I know many people deal with but it's a sad thought...

I'm wondering: if this were you, what bloodwork would you hope to get done? I'm hoping for thyroid work. But I've read that the tests for T3 and T4 and "free T3/4(?)" aren't always indicative/clear. I wonder what other hormones they can test for?

[Sagesgirl]

If it's any consolation, my temps are high too--the lowest I've had is 98.0. But my temperature has always run high, even when I was a kid. As long as it's normal for you, I don't think you should worry about it too much. (And by normal for you, I mean that it hasn't changed in the time you've been charting since you had your most recent baby.)

[onetrumpeter]

Originally Posted by Sagesgirl

If it's any consolation, my temps are high too--the lowest I've had is 98.0. But my temperature has always run high, even when I was a kid. As long as it's normal for you, I don't think you should worry about it too much. (And by normal for you, I mean that it hasn't changed in the time you've been charting since you had your most recent baby.)

Wow - thanks so much for responding! I keep checking back to see if anyone else knows about this but am too embarrassed to "bump" my question again, lol!

It is actually some consolation to hear that you also have high temps. Interesting, though, that you've always run a higher temp. If I understand you correctly, it maybe be the new "normal" for me. My charts prior to conceving our first daughter were all much lower (truly "normal" BBTs) as well as the chart prior to conceving our son (only once cycle). So it's only been since I've charted after our most recent baby's birth that I've had these high temps.

I am supposed to have an appt w/ a very NFP-friendly OB in just over a week, and hope she comes to the same conclusion.

Do you run really high fevers? My current post-ov temps are around 98.5-98.8, so if that's my basal temp I wonder what a fever would be.

Thanks again for responding - I really appreciate it!

[onetrumpeter]

Just wanted to update: I had an appt a week and a half ago. I'm going to get bloodwork done - a "thyroid panel" (can't recall which specific counts right now) and when I said it made me concerned about whether I'd be able to maintain another pregnancy, she said I could get my estrogen and progesterone checked, so I'm to go seven days after "peak". That's the last day of the more fertile mucous, right? I'm on day 11 and having mucous now, but haven't ovulated yet. Anyway, I'm very curious about the results and will share back when I find out.

[onetrumpeter]

I did see the OB - will update here rather than start a new thread.

They ran a thyroid panel and progesterone and estrogen checks.

My thyroid panel came back normal (though it's my understanding that the bloodwork isn't always the best indicator of thyroid function?) and my progesterone was low. My progesterone was 7.0 and my estradiol was 185.2. The OB said that if I wanted to get pregnant she'd prescribe a progesterone supplement, IIRC (I actually spoke w/ a nurse, of course).

She rec'd that I follow up w/ the OB in the practice who specializes in adrenal issues. I've since learned that adrenal fatigue is mostly associated w/ LOW BBTs. Anyway, he didn't discuss my low progesterone at all (and I forgot to ask) but did give me a 24 hr saliva test to check for adrenal function. I told him of my symptoms of fatigue, shortish luteal phases, weight gain around my belly, and told him how I'd had pubic hair growth when I was six, and that "all" that was found at that time was high cortisol levels. He then ordered bloodwork for testosterone and DHEA. I've not taken the saliva test as it's $100 not covered by ins. Plus when I look at the website most of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue don't really seem to fit...

My testosterone was "good" according to the nurse, but my DHEA was 1880 or so with a range of 120-720 or so being normal. So the nurse said they'd refer me to an endocrinologist.

So I called the endocrinologist and they asked why I wanted to be seen. Ummmm... not really sure except my bloodwork is out of the normal range. They want me to have my labwork sent over.

So,
-low progesterone (this was from blood taken at 7 days past peak/ovulation), and possibly high estrogen levels (I'm reading that my progesterone:estrogen ratio is out of whack)
-high DHEA

anything that rings a bell to anyone? I just don't feel like I can dismiss my high BBTs but then I wonder if they're even related to these lab results at all which I'd never have known had I not wanted to check on a cause for the high BBTs.

[MaerynPearl]

I wouldn't even necessarily jump to low progesterone...

progesterone comes in spurts throughout the day, it is not a constant hormone so you could have tested at a low... and since 10 is normal for a non-medicated woman and 5 is all that is necessary to signal that ovulation happened, 7 sounds like you possibly could be just fine.