Question about charting, and is ovulation thermometer REALLY necessary?

[Ophelia]

I have been charting for a long time, but i'm not sure whether to start the first day of my cycle when I first start spotting, or when i get the full blown period. For example, this time I spotted for 2 days so that's a 2 day difference to try and figure out ovulation time.

Also, I have seen the ovulation thermometers at the drug store but they didn't look any different than regular so I've been using a regular one this whole time. I do try and take my temp before getting out of bed, around the same time every morning. Is a special ovulation thermometer really necessary? how about ovulation test kits? I can't afford to spend a bunch of $$ (recently laid off), is charting just as good?

Thanks!

[MoOnFiReGlOw]

You would count your first day of full red flow, so not the spotting

As far as the thermometer goes it's up to you. An Ovulation thermometer is usually necessary b/c it reads to the .01 instead of the normal .1 and will show your temp changes a bit more accurately. You can get one for 10 bucks at Walgreens or I think even Walmart has a cheap one as well. I've noticed that for *me* it doesn't matter, I can see my pattern whether it's to the .01 or .1.

[scarletjane]

Get the "special" thermometer. It's called a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer and like the previous poster said, they're quite inexpensive and widely available at any drugstore. I have used the walgreens one (it was $9) for the last 3 years (most of which was charting to avoid pregnancy). I've just had to replace the battery a couple of times, but otherwise it's worked great. You really do need the extra precision it provides. You will have a much clearer picture of your cycle.

And, as stated, spotting is not the start of your period. Mark it on your chart, but day 1 is the first day of full flow.

good luck!

[karmab]

ditto and ditto. spotting is on the previous cycle, first day of flow starts the new cycle. get the bbt therm. it may save you from pulling your hair out. it doesnt matter much if it's to the 1/10th or 1/100th, but it is worth it, and they are cheap and readily available. as far as opks, used correctly, they can also be hugely helpful. you can get them online, like at amazon.com and ebay etc very cheap. i just bought 25 opks for $6.75 with free shipping. totally worth it.

[Maurine]

To chime in about OPKs, they aren't really necessary IMHO. You should get a BBT, and chart. As long as you are fairly regular you should know when you're about to ovulate. You might also want to pay attention to your cervical fluid, which is another great sign. Just make sure to do the deed (DTD) every other day leading up to your temp spike.

[TheDivineMrsM]

Start temping the first full day of red flow.

Yes, a basal body therm (in my humble opinion) is necessary. It's digital, so there's no guesswork. And it's more exact. The difference between 98.1 and 98.6 isn't a big deal if you're checking for a fever, but that's a huge difference when charting to determine if you're Oing.

Good luck!!

[Ophelia]

Thanks!! I have PCOS, but my periods are regular. I have been on Metformin since late Jan. and unfortunately had miscarriage March 31. Hoping to get pg within the next few months. Got pg with DS after about 2 months on Met the last time. (I got pg on my own in Jan., w/o the Met! Then miscarried)

The digital thermometer I do have, it does have the DOT in it. For example, I read 97.6 or 98.1 or whatever. If that is all I need then the one I have sounds fine, correct?

I tried checking cervical fluid, but didn't do so well with that.

[RN-Mommy]

Originally Posted by Ophelia

Thanks!! I have PCOS, but my periods are regular. I have been on Metformin since late Jan. and unfortunately had miscarriage March 31. Hoping to get pg within the next few months. Got pg with DS after about 2 months on Met the last time. (I got pg on my own in Jan., w/o the Met! Then miscarried)

The digital thermometer I do have, it does have the DOT in it. For example, I read 97.6 or 98.1 or whatever. If that is all I need then the one I have sounds fine, correct?

I tried checking cervical fluid, but didn't do so well with that.

Your digital will read 97.6 and the the BBT thermometer might read 97.58 so its more precise. It is helpful because the shift in temperature (indicating ovulation) for some women might be so slight that measuring to the one-hundredth of a degree is necessary, while for others, the temperature shift is more dramatic, and thus readings to the tenth of a degree are sufficient.

IMO I would just get the BBT thermometer to be safe since they are relatively inexpensive, but you could try it out with what you have now and see how it goes before making the purchase.

[MaerynPearl]

Also, a regular digital fever thermometer is usually only accurate to .2 degrees.

For any women being off by .2 degrees can totally throw off the day your chart says you Oed! This cycle, ending up pregnant... a regular digital thermometer would have likely not shown O happening until what was actually 6dpo! My shift was just barely over .2 degrees... then on 6dpo it jumped another .3 (likely at implantation)

Most BBT thermometers will be accurate to .05 or smaller.

[~Adorkable~]

i use a normal thermometer and have great charts and know other women that do as well. i have used a btt one as well and did not see anything much smoother. i personally feel that slight changes in sleeping habits and blanket or your partner's closeness will have more of a effect on temp than the .05 that a bbt can get down too. but folks are correct in that they are not really any more costly or should not be, so either one works

what i have found to matter more is to leave any thermometer even the bbt ones in for at least a full minute ot more, way past when they beep. and in my case to temp vaginally. it is those two things that instantly cleared and smoothed my charts out.

any given days temp does not really meen anything, it is the temp shift and over all curve and you look at that in hindsight, so any given temp being .05 off will rarely change much.

as for OPK's, if your cycle is of a pretty regular length and you have seen where your o falls for a while then i do not think opks are really important, just dtd every other day for the good handful of days before you expect O and for a few days after till you get your confirmed shift.

now if your cycles get really long and wonky then i can see opk being really helpful to give you a heads up, since all he btt chart will do is confirm it has already happened.