Temp drop at 12 dpo - Does it look like I'm completely out this month?

[SilverMoon010]

I told myself I wouldn't obsess but it's hard not to with this charting thing!

My chart looks so weird to me. If anyone can explain my chart, I would appreciate it! 

I had a slow drop from 5 dpo to 8 dpo, then an increase and now a drop at 12 dpo.  My period can come anywhere between tomorrow and Thursday.  Does this drop at 12 dpo mean I am completely out?  The only thing giving me hope is the BB soreness. I don't get much of it before AF and my nips are more of that tingly-type feeling (which I had with DS) and are also larger than normal, but I probably am looking too much into it and I may get that some months before AF, who knows.  I also got AF-like cramping where it felt like I had AF around 5-6 dpo and have basically been cramping off and on  since then.  I don't want to test until I actually miss my period because I hate the disappointment.

I know all I can do is wait and I know this is my first month of charting so it's tough to say but any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

BTW, does it look like I may have low progesterone? I just read somewhere that temps post-O close to the coverline can signify low progesterone and it make me nervous but my temps did rise after that so I might be okay.

TIA!

[url=http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3514f8/]My Ovulation Chart[/url] 

[Bugglette]

I can't really comment on the progesterone thing, except to say that I temps 96-98 degrees pre-O and 97-99 post-O are considered normal.

It looks like 7 or 8 dpo could have been an implantation dip.   The dip on 12 isn't so low as to count you out....try to look at all of your temps together and not over analyze any single temp.  Your post O temps are all at or above your coverline, and there is a clear thermal shift.  I hope that this is it for you!

[SilverMoon010]

Originally Posted by Bugglette 

I can't really comment on the progesterone thing, except to say that I temps 96-98 degrees pre-O and 97-99 post-O are considered normal.

It looks like 7 or 8 dpo could have been an implantation dip.   The dip on 12 isn't so low as to count you out....try to look at all of your temps together and not over analyze any single temp.  Your post O temps are all at or above your coverline, and there is a clear thermal shift.  I hope that this is it for you!

Thank you for your reply! I was kind of thinking that too andI know it's only a matter of time when I will find out. I was just looking around on FF at other ladies charts and it seems those who were pregnant all had much higher temps than me and their temps keep rising it seemed and never dropped, so when comparing their charts to mine, it doesn't look too good in my favor.

I think the temp over the next few days will tell all, or the arrival of AF, whichever comes first

Edited by SilverMoon010 - 5/29/11 at 1:29pm

[Jaimee]

I wouldn't say you're out either.  If it is a temp drop for AF then I would expect AF tomorrow or at least spotting. Otherwise your temp could increase tomorrow. Remember that one temp does not a pattern make and it  isn't below the coverline either.  Since this is your first chart you don't know how long your average LP, which is frustrating when TTC b/c you don't know the exact day of your missed period!   But I certainly would not give up hope based on today's temp. 

My chart from this  pregnancy had  quite low temps during my LP and a few of the temps dipped well into my pre-O temp range so I kept expecting AF, but it never came...

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/25f63a

[SilverMoon010]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

I wouldn't say you're out either.  If it is a temp drop for AF then I would expect AF tomorrow or at least spotting. Otherwise your temp could increase tomorrow. Remember that one temp does not a pattern make and it  isn't below the coverline either.  Since this is your first chart you don't know how long your average LP, which is frustrating when TTC b/c you don't know the exact day of your missed period!   But I certainly would not give up hope based on today's temp. 

My chart from this  pregnancy had  quite low temps during my LP and a few of the temps dipped well into my pre-O temp range so I kept expecting AF, but it never came...

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/25f63a

Thanks Jaimee! Your chart does give me hope. I appreciate you sharing that with me. Let me ask....if at this point (12 dpo or later), in typical circumstances, the temp drops below the coverline, does that normally signal AF is coming? I'm guessing one drop below the coverline wouldn't be 100%, but it would probably more likely than not signal AF, right?

[Jaimee]

I would say that if a temp did dip below the coverline toward the end of the LP I personally would expect AF that day or the next- based on my experience of my cycles. But it certainly doesn't happen every time and there are also plenty of times that I've still had temps above the coverline throughout AF, which did not drop until a few days into my next cycle.  Here's a pretty classic example of my normal chart:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/chartgraph_module.php?d=2006-02-15&mode=a&ts=1306764745&u=

You'll notice I spiked from the mid 97's to 98 and generally stayed in the 98 range until the day I got my period, which dipped into the mid-97's again.   In this case I had one temp drop into the 97's, but it went back up to 98 and then I had an obvious drop the day of AF.  Here's another one:

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/chartgraph_module.php?d=2008-09-12&mode=a&ts=1306764784&u=

This time the dip isn't below the coverline, but it's out lower than the rest of my LP and alerted me that AF might happen that day, which it did.

[Jaimee]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      Congrats!!!!!   Glad you used henna, huh? 

[SilverMoon010]

Thanks Jaimee! The temp drop at 12 dpo certainly did not mean I was out! Of course I am now overanalyzing the HPT. I used the 6-day FRER on 14dpo and today, 16 dpo, and both times, the line is just not as dark as the baseline. It's not a squinter; the line is clearly there. Just not as dark pink.  I guess I expected the line to be darker today and was a tad scared when it wasn't, but then I read the instructions for it today and it even says the pregnancy line may be lighter than the base line (or whatever they call that line), so that made me feel much better.  I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this with the 6-day FRER.

And yes, I am so glad I used henna

[Jaimee]

Control line is what it's called.     It just indicates that the test is working.  But, a line is a line no matter how dark!   If you continued to take tests every other day, you should see the line getting darker and darker as your hCG levels rise (assuming a viable pregnancy where your levels are doubling every 24-48 hours).   With my first pregnancy I tested on 12 DPO and got the faintest of faint lines.   With my subsequent pregnancies I tested on 18 DPO and 20+ DPO... those lines were quite dark.  In fact with this last pregnancy, the + showed up while I was peeing on the stick.     Much has to do with when the embryo implanted and how much (and how quickly) it is producing hCG.  With a late implantation you will get fainter lines even at this point.

[SilverMoon010]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Control line is what it's called.     It just indicates that the test is working.  But, a line is a line no matter how dark!   If you continued to take tests every other day, you should see the line getting darker and darker as your hCG levels rise (assuming a viable pregnancy where your levels are doubling every 24-48 hours).   With my first pregnancy I tested on 12 DPO and got the faintest of faint lines.   With my subsequent pregnancies I tested on 18 DPO and 20+ DPO... those lines were quite dark.  In fact with this last pregnancy, the + showed up while I was peeing on the stick.     Much has to do with when the embryo implanted and how much (and how quickly) it is producing hCG.  With a late implantation you will get fainter lines even at this point.

I knew it was called something like that Shows how often I read the instructions before diving right into the testing! LOL!

I am happy because the line is much darker today.  I was starting to get a bit nervous. Everything looks okay!