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FF / BBT question for you experts out there.... *Update with chart!*

post #1 of 9
Thread Starter 

How much does the TIME you take your temperature really matter??

 

Due to work I've been taking my temp at 5:30 am.  Yesterday I slept in, so I didn't take it until 10 or 10:30.  My temp had a huge spike.

 

It was still the very first thing I did before I moved around (or was even conscious orngtongue.gif ).  So did that spike mean I o'd or was it because I took my temp five hours later??

 

 

post #2 of 9

I have found that time matters the most out of anything.  Taking your temp a good 4-5 hours later than usual will almost certainly result in a spike.  But everyone is different.  Mark it as disturbed and later you may wish to just disregard it.  How was your CF before and after that temp?  That can also help you interpret what's going on.  You should have creamy and/or eggwhite up to the spike and dry up some or all the way the day of the spike.  Can you share your chart?

post #3 of 9

I agree with Jaimee.  The time is crucial...especially with such a huge difference in time.  Occasionally I'll wake up 30-40 minutes earlier or later than my normal time, but that isn't a big enough time difference to have much of an effect.  One spike from sleeping in isn't likely to interfere with having a clear ovulation pattern/interpretation on your chart, but if it happens regularly it will be much harder to decipher when you've ovulated.

 

If you can share your chart we can take a look to see if ovulation seems probable.  What CD are you on?

post #4 of 9
Thread Starter 

Hmmm.... thanks for the feedback, ladies.  I always thought that taking your temp as soon as you woke up before moving around at all was more important, as opposed to the actual time of day.

 

I've never linked to my chart before, so here is my attempt.  I would welcome any insight.  

 

My "sleeping in" day that I'm thinking about was CD 17.  The rest of the chart is kind of messed up because I also have a bunch of uncertain temps CD 5-11 due to travelling and not being in full work mode yet (I'm a teacher).  

 

I discarded the CD 12 temp because I pulled the thermometer out a few seconds early because it seemed to be taking a long time to register and I didn't think I had turned it on.  shy.gif  But it did beep not long after I pulled it out, so I thought it was somewhat valid.  (And I realllllllly had to pee, so I couldn't do it again.  orngtongue.gif)  

 

As for CF- I'm not too good at that.  Honestly, I don't really get the difference of sticky vs. creamy vs. watery vs. eggwhite.  Maybe I'm just thick!!!!!  I would be fine if it were a yes or no option!!!!!!!

 

Thanks again, ladies!!!  This is my first month charting in 3 years, so I'm really just trying to get a handle on where my body is at,

 

[url=http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/1da109/]My Ovulation Chart[/url]

 

 

post #5 of 9

Here's some info I typed out for another member... sorry for anything you already know:

 

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.

 

Some find it best to set an alarm for a consistent time, quickly temp, and then just go back to sleep.  You might want to try that on sleep in days.  Some also find that vaginal temping helps keep things more consistent.

 

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 ovulation (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.

 

I took a look at your chart and would say that you have not yet O'd.  Your temp spiked from that sleep in day, but went right back down to what appears to be your normal pre-O range of low-mid 97's.  I'm the same way.  When I O, I spike up to the low 98's, with occasional high 97's thrown in.  Looking at your overall pattern I see slightly elevated temps during AF, which is common, and then disregarding the outliers your temps remain between 97 and 97.4.  That's pretty consistent.  I don't think you'll have trouble spotting your spike.  CF data would definitely be helpful.  So I would highly recommend starting to do that so you can see when you're gearing up to O and that will put you on the look out for that spike.  Good luck!

post #6 of 9
Thread Starter 

Jaimee!  What a great post!!!!!  Yes, I actually knew much of that- not sure how closely you looked at my chart, but my last two charts were in there from when I got pg about 4 years ago with DS.

 

The CF info was great.  A little gross, but awesome info!!!  orngtongue.gif  

 

I agree with you that I haven't O'd yet- but I think I'm gearing up.  My CF is going a little crazy.  And today my temp bottomed out, just like the cycle I got pg.  Too bad I'm not actually TTC this month- darn teacher's schedule!!!!!!!!  But fingers crossed that everything still works.

post #7 of 9

thumb.gif  You're welcome!  I did see your pregnancy chart in there and though for a moment that you had recently miscarried!  Then I saw the date and realized what it was.  This chart does look to be shaping up to look like that one, so I bet a spike is coming your way in a few days.  So I imagine you're noticing EW or at least creamy right about now?

post #8 of 9
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaimee View Post

 So I imagine you're noticing EW or at least creamy right about now?



Ohhhhh, yeah.  There's definitely a lot going on down there.  winky.gif  Not to get too gross, or anything.  But I wouldn't call it EW.  But from my previous pg I don't remember getting the classic EWCM either, so I'm not too worried.

 

Thanks again for the feedback.  Once this cycle is finished I think I'll be able to see the pattern, but now in the middle of it it still looks all over the place to me.

post #9 of 9

I agree-  what a great post from Jaimee!

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