[Mommy2Dakota]

A woman I am friends with at playgroup has began charting. She has been ttc for nearly 2 years. She had a miscarriage, then her daughter (who is over 3 now) then an Etopic Pregnancy about a year ago. She said she had her bloodwork done at the docs and was told everything was in order (hormone levels etc).

As I said she has just started charting and was wondering if it was OK that her temps (pre-ov) are low, at 35c (95f) range. She said she read 36c was more 'normal'. Mine are between 36.2 and 36.5 pre-ov.

She said she temps under her arm...I do under my tongue and suggested she try that way but when I tested on myself my temp was actually higher under my arm?

Should she be concerned? I didn't think it really mattered where you start out as its more the thermal shift and pattern you look for but she wonders if its a sign of why she hasn't fell pregnant?

[Blue Eyes 409]

You are supposed to chart Oral or Vaginally I am not sure if under the arm would work that could be her problem. She is using a BBT right?

I am not sure about C temps but as long as you can see a shift it should be ok. Has she thougth about using OPK's ?

[alicenwonderland]

i agree that under the arm is really not the best way to temp. Temps shouldn't matter as long as there is a clear thermal shift. I think she will get a higher reading if she temps by mouth or vaginally.
My temps are weirdly high, but I still have a thermal shift. I actually run a fever after o'ing. I don't think it's a problem, but of course i have never been pregnant either.

[kruff79]

Under the arm is the least accurate place to temp. There are too many factors that can alter your underarm temp from day to day. Even pediatricians have gone away from having mothers temp under their children's arms in favor of either rectal, or the ear or forhead thermometers. Have her swap to oral or vaginal temping after this cycle. NOT in the middle of a cycle. But generally the overall pattern is more important than the actual temps.

[ShawnaCAN]

I wouldn't get too worried about the low temps if she's checking under her arm. I would encourage her to switch to oral or vaginal temping for a few cycles just to see what her temp range really is. Then if it still seems low, she should have a very thorough thyroid investigation. Low temps can be related to low thyroid function...and yes, that can affect fertility.

[Mommy2Dakota]

Ah yes, very helpful! I'll definitely tell her to oral again! And yes, she said a friend set her up with a BBT themometre and that. Not sure if she's doing OPK's?

Interesting about the thyroid. I'll keep that in mind if her temps are still low. I tested myself normally this morning, 36.63, then under my arm straight after and it was 35.65 so def difference. I think you can lose alot of body heat quickly under your arm can't you, esp if you sleep with it raised.

[sjkduke]

Exactly, also the movement of the arm and positioning might be enough to "ruin" the whole BBT thing....if she just switches to oral or vaginal temping, she might notice a difference.

Thyroid problems are more common than most people think. It's a pretty routine blood test that doctors can do to determine if there's an issue.

[Mommy2Dakota]

Yep, she switched to oral and got 36.2 so much better!

[Blue Eyes 409]

I am glad that it worked out for her.

[Admin-pattyandthemoos]

Sorry I missed this post earlier. I agree that temping under her arm could throw things off. We would love it if she came over and said hi. We need some more charters on the board!