So where do I start?

**OceanPrincess** · May 21st, 2008, 02:12 PM

Hi ladies,

Looking for some general advice. Thinking about starting charting next month, if AF arrives this month.

Where do I start? I need to buy a basal thermometer I think? Where do I get them?

Do I use Fertility Friend for my chart? What else do I do??

Thanks for any help!

**sportychick** · May 21st, 2008, 02:35 PM

I suggest you buy a mercury BB themometer - they are more accurate and although they take longer, I always thought it was worth it. You can buy them at the chemist but sometimes they haven't heard them called basal body thermometers and respond better to "ovulation thermometer". The mercury ones can be a lot harder to find than the digital ones though, which you will find in just about every chemist. Pity you are in Melbourne, otherwise I'd give you mine!

I always used fertility friend because paper just seemed like too much hard work. You can get away with just using their free stuff, although I paid for an upgrade in the end, because it took a while and I liked the cool graphing extras - but you don't strictly need them.

That's all you need, really. Good luck!

**OceanPrincess** · May 21st, 2008, 02:47 PM

Thanks sportychick! Here's hoping I won't need it at all

**titti** · May 21st, 2008, 02:57 PM

First GOOD LUCK!!!
I don't know what is the general opinion, but I used the Maybe baby to find out when I was ovulating... and it worked for us. We knew when I was approaching the 'fertile' period and we knew exactly when I was ovulating... and the result is that I am pregnant...
My friend is charting through temperature and she is happy with that, even though now she decided to give the Maybe Baby a go ( I lent her mine, since you can use it as many times you want).
I am not saying it works for everybody, and I am not saying that everybody will get pregnant at the first try as us, but it worked for us and we are happy.
I really hope you will have great news soon!
xxx

lisjay · May 25th, 2008, 09:57 PM

Hey there, new to froum, me and my partner are wanting to have a baby, we have been together for 3 years now, and i have been off the pill for about a year and a half, we dont really get a chance to do alot of bedroom things due to us living with parents. We have got one of those ovulation test before but when tested came back negative everytime. so i guess we may have had dates wrong. i usually go 28 days between. Does anyone have any advise should we see a doctor and discuss this, or is it a matter of dates being right and away you go? Any response will be good. thanks lisjayv

**sportychick** · May 26th, 2008, 08:41 AM

lisjay, the best thing to do would be to temp for a while. That will help you get an indication when you usually ovulate, and then you can use OPK's for the week around ovulation to help pinpoint it more accurately. The length of your cycle on its own doesn't give a clear indication of when you ovulate, because you may have a long or short luteal phase (the part of your cycle after you ovulate) and therefore ovulate before or after the halfway through your cycle mark. There is heaps of info on this site about temping and charting - have a good read, get yourelf a thermometer and have a go.

lisjay · May 26th, 2008, 07:39 PM

thats alot for the info, whats the temp thing called? just so i can go buy one, and also would you happen to know the days of ovulation rough guide? thanks

**sportychick** · May 27th, 2008, 08:25 AM

you need a basal body thermometer, also called "ovulation thermometer" and can get one at a pharmacy. Fertility friend has an online chart that you can use to record your temps and it also has a good online tutorial to teach you all about charting and stuff. Ovulation is SUPPOSED to be about 14 days before your period, but the problem is that women's luteal phase (the time after you ovulate and before your period) varies greatly from woman to woman. So for a "normal" 28 day cycle, you "should" O on day 14, but if you have a short LP, you may O on day 18, or if you have irregular cycles, it could change from month to month. Your LP will always be about the same length, but the time before you ovulate can change from month to month in women with irregular cycles. That's why it's a good idea to temp/chart so that you get a clear picture of when you normally O, so you can time BD properly. I'm sure there will be a "sticky" somewhere in the forus that goes into this in more detail, or you could also do a search through the articls on the main BellyBelly site for more info.