Help with temp/charting please!

[SarahP13]

Hi, I have been fortunate to get pregnant pretty easily three times now (first was mmc though), so haven't been on TTC before but now I could really do with some help!

I have been desperate for number three for ages but we have a big holiday next Easter and I don't want to be more than 29 weeks pregnant then (to avoid needing medical certificates & to be more comfortable as it will be hot!) so have avoided TTC until now. I'd like to conceive in about one months time and I'm trying to get organised to give myself the best chance possible. I have done OPK's in the past but have never done temp or charting and don't really understand them. Can anyone help explain them please?!

Thank you!

 

[southernbound]

Get a basal body thermometer and keep it by your bed. First thing every morning when you wake up, before you so much as roll over too much Take your temperature (vaginally is best but orally will do). Map it in an app like fertility friend (or a hand chart but they're much less convenient). Temping can only tell you you HAVE ovulated (you will see a large and sustained temperature spike. Fertility friend will indicate this for you) so you can't use it to time baby dancing. Your best bet is to use your OPKs to time when you baby dance and then continue charting to make sure that you actually did ovulate and had it timed right. Good luck

 

[todmommy4568]

I don't have much to add to what southernbound said, she covered it quite nicely. The only thing would be to make sure you take your temp at the same time every day otherwise you will get an inconsistent reading.

If you are only trying for one month I would get OPK's for sure, I also used the clearblue advanced opks. They are a little spendy but for one cycle what's the harm? They measure estrogen as well so they can give you days that your estrogen is starting to rise so you can BD during your entire fertile window if you want to.

Fertility Friend is a must! You can put all kinds of things in there such as OPK results, when you DTD, symptoms, etc. My chart is in my signature, feel free to take a look as it is looking quite nice this month

 

[SarahP13]

Thanks so much ladies! Will have a look at fertility friend now. X

 

[WantsALittle1]

I second what everyone else said about Fertility Friend. It is great, really takes so much of the work out of it. You can also purchase upgrades that do detailed chart interpretation, DPO tracking, and some other neat features. I haven't done the upgrade because we are only 4 months in, but it is there to help for those seeking extra guidance.

My personal advice about BBT thermometers: they seem to take FOREVER to reach the final temperature and beep. If you can find one that gets to the final temperature quicker, you will save yourself a lot of frustration!

Also, I like the hormonal theory part of things as it relates to BBT/charting. As southernbound said, temp charting only confirms that you have indeed ovulated (essential information for figuring out your DPO, or if you are having a tough time conceiving and wondering whether you are Oving or not!) Temps rise after ovulation because progesterone rises after ovulation, and temps begin to fall when progesterone starts to fall as the corpus luteum collapses, if pregnancy has not occurred. So for me, charting tells me a lot--I can watch the whole process happening. I usually get some hot flashes that correspond to the rise in progesterone and the fall-off. For me, the temp fall-off starts around 10 DPO. Another really useful piece of information that you get from charting is the length of your luteal phase. I think 10 days is the minimum luteal phase length required for pregnancy to occur, but please someone correct me if I'm wrong?

Also, there are many who feel that temping can somewhat be used to predict ovulation. Some women notice a dip in temperature just before ovulation, and if that dip is different enough from your normal temps (i.e lower than usual), it can supposedly be a sign that you are about to ovulate, and a good indication to get BDing. I don't get a temp dip before Ov, so I rely more on OPKs and CM to predict ovulation, and temping to confirm that it happened.

Hope that helps!