Newbie to charting - help!

[Livvyloo]

Hmm strange, everything I google says that the temp rise only has to be .2 to .6 degrees celcius to be considered a spike indicating ovulation...even the information included with my BBT thermometer says so..

and I googled some "ovulatory" charts that had very similar figures to mine..

are you sure it has to be an entire degree because I can't find anything that says that?

[2CheekyMonkeys]

no not an entire degree in one day, but a steady increase each day til it gets up to a whole degree.

dont forget, it has been years since i charted so i could be entirely wrong. :-)

[Livvyloo]

heheh thanks

I found this (and similar statements on other websites):

In women, ovulation causes an increase of one-quarter to one-half degree Celsius

My temp definitely rose within the scale of 1/4 to 1/2 a degree celcius ... so not sure..

[Cassius2]

hi there!

i would hazard that it sounds like you may of ovulated. the post O temps seem to be in keeping and with the mid-cycle spotting it could all be related to O spotting.

i reckon that considering AF hasnt returned it would be advantageous to you to try some OPKs (ovulation predictor kits). this will really let you know if you are in fact ovulating (sometimes even with a dip it can be questionable). that way you know for certain whether there is an eggie coming down or not.

I also recommend that you join a TTC buddy group here on BB! great way to share the journey and compare charts etc.

goodluck with it all!

[spiceoflife]

Hi scliviachy - welcome!!

I agree - sounds like you may have O'd.
I've been charting for more than 10 cycles and my temps are usually 36.2-36.4 pre-O, then 36.6-36.7 post-O. Nothing wrong there!

I've never used OPKs but I think they're only useful BEFORE you O, whereas bbt is useful AFTER you O. At this point, I would just keep temping (assuming you take bbt at the same time each day, following all the guidelines etc) and keeping an eye on CM. If you haven't O'd yet, you're still potentially fertile - yay!! And if you have, then you can measure your luteal phase (time from O until AF), celebrate the arrival of AF, and then get on with some serious ttc

Good luck!

[Livvyloo]

Hi scliviachy - welcome!!

I agree - sounds like you may have O'd.
I've been charting for more than 10 cycles and my temps are usually 36.2-36.4 pre-O, then 36.6-36.7 post-O. Nothing wrong there!

I've never used OPKs but I think they're only useful BEFORE you O, whereas bbt is useful AFTER you O. At this point, I would just keep temping (assuming you take bbt at the same time each day, following all the guidelines etc) and keeping an eye on CM. If you haven't O'd yet, you're still potentially fertile - yay!! And if you have, then you can measure your luteal phase (time from O until AF), celebrate the arrival of AF, and then get on with some serious ttc

Good luck!

I kind of want to avoid OPK's, it might sound silly but I don't want to get too extreme about it, I already feel a bit fanatical taking temps! I have bought some, but I'm not sure when/if I'll use them.

I do follow all the guidelines with temping, all my temps have been taken at 6:10am, and no getting up to wee or having anything to drink, keep the thermometer right by the bed and have been getting minimum 7 hours sleep before hand.

I've been nervous about my temps a little bit because I am scared that after going off the pill I'll never ovulate again.. I know it might sound silly but it was really daunting to discover I hadn't ovulated in the first cycle off the pill and got no period. It made me really upset. I decided to chart my temp because it felt like 'knowledge is power' and i have to admit that these last couple of days thinking I may have ovulated have made me feel a little better.

Interestingly enough, I don't know if this is relevant at all, but I counted back from the day I THINK i may have ovulated (the day of the dip) and it was 14 days exactly from the day I SHOULD have started my period had I ovulated last month. Don't know if that's a complete coincidence or not, but before going on the pill I always had regular 28 day cycles, never early never late.. so who knows?!?!

[spiceoflife]

I kind of want to avoid OPK's, it might sound silly but I don't want to get too extreme about it, I already feel a bit fanatical taking temps! I have bought some, but I'm not sure when/if I'll use them.

I do follow all the guidelines with temping, all my temps have been taken at 6:10am, and no getting up to wee or having anything to drink, keep the thermometer right by the bed and have been getting minimum 7 hours sleep before hand.

I've been nervous about my temps a little bit because I am scared that after going off the pill I'll never ovulate again.. I know it might sound silly but it was really daunting to discover I hadn't ovulated in the first cycle off the pill and got no period. It made me really upset. I decided to chart my temp because it felt like 'knowledge is power' and i have to admit that these last couple of days thinking I may have ovulated have made me feel a little better.

Interestingly enough, I don't know if this is relevant at all, but I counted back from the day I THINK i may have ovulated (the day of the dip) and it was 14 days exactly from the day I SHOULD have started my period had I ovulated last month. Don't know if that's a complete coincidence or not, but before going on the pill I always had regular 28 day cycles, never early never late.. so who knows?!?!

Sounds excellent, schliviachy - kind of the way I want to be as well I don't think temping has made me more neurotic, I tend to like the 'knowledge is power' thing, too. And I do find it really empowering.

A couple of things. Some people say that your cycles coming off the pill will look very much like what they were before you went on the pill, so when it evens out for you, you might be able to expect things to seem just like 'normal.' And when you count cycle days, remember that days post-ovulation (DPO) are the most consistent - usually between 12-16 days, and whatever it is for you, it's generally the same cycle to cycle. It's the number of days prior to O that varies, as I discovered this cycle! There are lots of natural ways to bring each of these phases into good balance, but I recommend seeing a professional (e.g. naturopath) rather than trying to work it out yourself.

Anyway, hope that helps. I look forward to seeing you around on the ttc forum next month, and let's hope our stay is not too long

[Livvyloo]

hi there!

i would hazard that it sounds like you may of ovulated. the post O temps seem to be in keeping and with the mid-cycle spotting it could all be related to O spotting.

i reckon that considering AF hasnt returned it would be advantageous to you to try some OPKs (ovulation predictor kits). this will really let you know if you are in fact ovulating (sometimes even with a dip it can be questionable). that way you know for certain whether there is an eggie coming down or not.

I also recommend that you join a TTC buddy group here on BB! great way to share the journey and compare charts etc.

goodluck with it all!

Thanks for the luck, I think I'll need it!

I've just hopped into a ttc buddy group in the other forum and definitely plan to keep posting.

I actually bought some OPK's today but am not sure when to start using them - when you know your cycle length I understand it, but since I don't (because of the lack of AF after going off BC) it feels like I'd just have to randomly take them all the time. Or do I just start using them when I feel like my temp and CM are doing the right thing? Also.. with an OPK.. if you take it AFTER you think you've ovulated, it's just gonna be negative right? it wouldn't tell you whether you HAD ovulated??