Got BBT...now what?

[longing4bb]

I got my thermometer and used today for the first time it was 97.6. Today is cd17 for me. I've used the ovulation test kits last month and so far this month. And never got the surge. My cm has been really wet the last 2 days and before that was more sticky.

What am I looking for with temps? How big of a difference? When should I expect that?

If you ladies could give me pointers I'd appreciate it greatly.

[Jaimee]

Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler at the library (or buy it).  You don't need to read it cover to cover to get started, but it really is an excellent resource.

When temping you want to focus on a few things: taking it at the same time each morning (within 30 minutes); taking it after a solid block of sleep (3 hours is usually recommended); and making sure that you don't get out of bed, sit up, drink water, or fall asleep before or while temping.  So basically you just wake up, roll over, temp, and go back to sleep or get up. 

Some women are really sensitive to changes in sleep patterns or ambient temperature (like if your room is hot one morning and not the next or you wake up snuggled under a warm blanket and the next are out of the covers).  But other women find that they can see their pattern despite numerous night wakings, not getting a 3 hour block of sleep prior to temping, or environmental changes.  Other things that can affect temp- pretty much the same things that can delay ovulation: travel, stress, diet changes, injury, illness, and strenuous exercise.

Next, cervical fluid (CF) is something you can observe throughout the day- whenever you feel it, whenever you see it (while wiping, on your panties), etc.  Here is my general guide to CF:

Dry: you'll feel dry all day and there is nothing on your panties

Sticky: you'll generally feel dry and there will be a bit of staining- usually yellow- on your panties.  It might be a bit crumbly or clumpy.

Creamy: generally you'll feel a little wet, lotiony in texture, could be slippery when you wipe, often it will stand up on your panties

Wet: you'll feel wet and your panties will likely be wet- maybe even soak through (I rarely get this)

Eggwhite: you might actually feel it slipping out of you througout the day and it might fall out of you while using the bathroom, stretchy- it may stretch from you to the TP for several inches- and usually clear or yellow tinted, often quite profuse

Temp and CF are the two basic fertility signs you need to chart.  There are other signs you can record like cervical position (CP), but it's not necessary unless your temps and CF are not showing a clear pattern.

So what you're going to see is a group of low temps from the start of AF, which is cycle day 1 (CD 1) until the day after ovluation (O) when you should see a spike in temp or steady climb to a higher group of temps.  The days between O and AF are called your luteal phase (LP).  Generally it is said that you need at least 10 days to sustain a pregnancy.  The average length is 12-14 days.  Your LP will not vary much- usually just by one or two days cycle to cycle.  But your O day could vary considerably.  So when you see O on your chart you can then predict when AF should show based on your average LP length.  If you go 3 days past your longest LP length then that is an excellent sign of pregnancy.  If you get 18 high temps after O that is 99% accurate- just like an HPT.

Likewise your CF will go from dry just after AF to sticky, to creamy, to EW as O approaches.  You may or may not go through all the different types of CF prior to O or you could skip from dry to creamy or dry to EW.  You might have many days of creamy and one or two of EW or you might have 3 or 4 days of EW with hardly any creamy.  It all depends on the woman and that particular cycle.  But after O you will dry up.  It could be instantaneous- like the day of the spike you're dry.  Or it could decrease slower- EW to creamy to stick to dry.  But usually you will dry up within a few days and then may or may not experience a few more days of creamy or even wet/EW later in your LP, just prior to AF.

Because you had some sticky and now what you're calling wet, I would assume you have not yet O'd this cycle, which is great.  You'll hopefully catch that spike within the next couple of days.  Keep an eye out for your CF possibly turning to EW and then drying up along with your temp rising.  These two things together will help you confirm O.  It will be a little more difficult, most likely, for you to see your pattern clearly this cycle b/c you starting temp so late.  It really helps to see at least 6 pre-O temps, but it's still great to get the data for this cycle no matter when you start.  I can't say whether 97.6 is your "normal" pre-O temp or not b/c it's your first cycle and your first temp, but for me, that is a typical pre-O temp.  I usually get an O spike into the low 98's and I rarely dip below 97.9 during my LP.  But you might find that some cycles you get a nice clear spike and others you get a slow rise pattern.  Much depends on your general fertility that cycle and what else is going on around you and in your life. 

Anyway, that should get you started!  Post if you have questions and use www.fertilityfriend.com to share your chart!  Good luck!

[longing4bb]

Thank you so much!! That gave me lots of info I needed. I will look for the book and are what happens. I'm hoping sand praying its our time soon. Thank you so much!!

[longing4bb]

Sorry I was wrong with my temp yesterday after looking at the thermometer it was 97.02 yesterday. This morning was 97.22 with a surge on the ovulation test. How much of a jump will the temp change...to be sure?

[Jaimee]

Those still sound like normal pre-O temps.  How is your cervical fluid?  Eggwhite?  If so, the EW CF combined with the OPK+ is an excellent indicator that O will occcur within the next 2 days.  There is no way to predict what your temp shift will look like.  Technically a spike is consider any jump of 0.2 degrees above the highest of the previous 6 temps.  However, if your temps are bit more erratic, this rule doesn't really apply.  A nice textbook spike would be into the 98's- very clear.  Other types of patterns inlcude a slow rise- where the temps steadily climb to a higher group of temps, or a stairstep climb- where the temps jump up slightly in a stair step fashion until they reach your higher level.  These latter two patterns are very difficult to decipher until you have passed ovulation by several days and this is where CF observations really come in handy.  EW followed by dry would really help confirm the actual day of ovulation before the temp pattern emerges.  Even with a nice, clear spike you cannot be positive you ovulated until your temperature stays high for three days.  Just remember: one temp does not a pattern make. 

Have you been using www.fertilityfriend.com?  As soon as you're a few temps past where you think you O'd, post your chart to get opinions!

[longing4bb]

Temp today 97.15. Only wet fluids...no eggwhite at all...still waiting. Opk + was just really wet fluids. I have to get internet at home to use fertilityfriend it doesn't work well using a phone. thanks again for all the help ill get it posted ASAP.