[kristiemarie518]

Hi!
I did some temping before my last period started but this is the first month I'll actually be charting to track.

I have a few questions.

1- Timing. Can i temp within 30-45 mins every day? Say I wake up at 6:30 one morning and 7am the next. Will that make a huge difference?

2- Sleep quality. How does sleep quality effect temps? I have a 4 year old that wakes me in the night frequently. I don't get out of bed because she climbs in with me, but I do wake up.

3- Being sick. I have a monster cold right now. No fever but does it effect my temps?

4- Do I temp during my period?

5- A spike means I am getting ready to o, right? And then the drop means I did o, right?

Any advice from the veteran charters?

[junie22]

I'm pretty new to charting myself, but here's my take on your questions:

1. Your temp can be impacted by as much as .1 degree for every 30 minutes of time deviation. FertilityFriend does enable you to adjust the temp if you are off one day, but I recommend you try to take your temp as consistently as possible.

2. Sleep quality can definitely impact your temperature. When I have a bad night's sleep, it seems that my temp is a little off. I think most charting sites recommend that you sleep a solid 5 hours before temping. Of course, if every night is the same in terms of sleep pattern, then it might not disrupt your chart. That is, charting is all about consistency. So if your sleep patterns are consistent, it might not be problematic for your chart.

3. You might not have a noticeable fever if you're sick, but it could be off my a few tenths of a degree. You're probably fine, but just keep that in mind.

4. You definitely temp during your period. After a few cycles (if it takes that long to conceive), you will notice temp patterns during different phases of your cycle. You want to temp every day, regardless of where you are in your cycle.

5. A significant spike in temperature (usually half a degree or more) means that you likely O'd 24-36 hours prior to that. Your temp should stay elevated during your entire luteal phase, decreasing when AF arrives. Sustained high temps during and beyond your luteal phase is a good indication that you are pregnant. Temping won't tell you that you're ready to ovulate, only that you already did. After a few cycles, though, you will see patterns emerge that should be helpful in your TTC planning.

I also recommend you take FertilityFriend's charting tutorial. Good luck with charting and TTC!

[ShawnaCAN]

If you have trouble getting an accurate temperature record, you can also identify your fertile times by tracking cervical mucus alone. You can tell when ovulation occurs that way. Here's how:http://www.woomb.org/learningBOM/B20...nstruction.pdf

[LifesGood]

1- Timing. Can i temp within 30-45 mins every day? Say I wake up at 6:30 one morning and 7am the next. Will that make a huge difference?

Set an alarm even for the weekend. You are able to mark differing times but it can affect interpretation

2- Sleep quality. How does sleep quality effect temps? I have a 4 year old that wakes me in the night frequently. I don't get out of bed because she climbs in with me, but I do wake up.

If you dont get up it shouldnt be too bad, if its a bad night, indicate sleep deprived on the options


3- Being sick. I have a monster cold right now. No fever but does it effect my temps?

with no fever you should be ok. there is nothing you can really do

4- Do I temp during my period?
I do, some dont. I have shorter cycles so I like having my whole chart complete

5- A spike means I am getting ready to o, right? And then the drop means I did o, right?

Not exactly. A sustained thermal shift of 3 or more days means that you have Od. some people have a drop the day or O and some dont. once in your thermal shift a drop below your coverline its like that your period will start

tracking your cm helps know when you are going to O
Any advice from the veteran charters?

[kristiemarie518]

Oh boy! This isore complicated than I thought! Thanks all! Might have to track cm too!

[pepper73]

Originally Posted by kristiemarie518

Oh boy! This isore complicated than I thought! Thanks all! Might have to track cm too!

Yes, it can be complicated and overwhelming at first, but once you do it for a while and start to see a pattern, you will be amazed at how much you learn about your body. It really is fascinating.

Here's my take on your questions:

1- Timing. Can i temp within 30-45 mins every day? Say I wake up at 6:30 one morning and 7am the next. Will that make a huge difference?

I think this really varies from woman to woman. I have found, for me, that my temps don't fluctuate that much at all (not enough to make a difference in interpretation anyway) if there's a 1/2 hour or even an hour difference. Since you are just starting though, I would definitely make an attempt to temp at the same time every day...and like Carrie said, even on weekends.

2- Sleep quality. How does sleep quality effect temps? I have a 4 year old that wakes me in the night frequently. I don't get out of bed because she climbs in with me, but I do wake up.

I agree with Carrie on this one. If you fall back to sleep easily, then it shouldn't make a big difference. If she keeps you up, then I'd mark sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can definitely affect your temps significantly. If I have a bad night's sleep, then my temps are abnormally high.

3- Being sick. I have a monster cold right now. No fever but does it effect my temps?

If your cold is keeping you from sleeping, then yes your temps can be affected. If you are still sleeping well, then it shouldn't make a big difference.

4- Do I temp during my period?

I think that since you are still new to it, you should temp during your period. I have been temping a long time and have started to give myself a break during that time. You will want as many temps as possible for a few cycles though, especially since you don't know when you ovulate yet.

5- A spike means I am getting ready to o, right? And then the drop means I did o, right?

No, not at all. Some women actually have a temp dip on the day of O (some, not all) and then the day after you O, you will see your temps rise. Like the others have said, you need 3 days of higher temps for Fertility Friend to confirm ovulation occurred.

Any advice from the veteran charters?

I agree with the others about keeping track of your CM. It can be confusing at first, but soon enough you will know more about your bodily secretions than you ever imagined you would. Another thing you might want to do is start taking OPK's. These, along with the CM can help you determine when O will happen. Please keep in mind that you can have a positive OPK and/or fertile CM, but not ovulate. Charting your temps won't tell you when you're about to ovulate, but it will confirm it when it has happened.

Feel free to ask more questions as you chart. We are all here to offer advice and support!

[kristiemarie518]

I totally missed temping today. Turned off the alarm and went back to sleep. I woke up 2 hours later like "holy crap what time is it???". Lol. Oops

[ShawnaCAN]

It does seem complicated at first, but it doesn't take long to catch on. There are also classes that teach you all about it and instructors who can guide you through learning it all, step by step.

[pepper73]

Originally Posted by kristiemarie518

I totally missed temping today. Turned off the alarm and went back to sleep. I woke up 2 hours later like "holy crap what time is it???". Lol. Oops

Don't worry about it. Missing one temp isn't going to affect your overall chart. These things happen. Plus, you can still temp at a different time and either make a note of it or use the temperature adjuster feature.

[LifesGood]

its hard to get into the routine. hope it gets easier.
what i did was set the alarm, took my temp, shut it back off rolled over and went back to sleep. my therm had a recall last temp thing every time you turn it on so i would record it later when i got up

[pepper73]

Originally Posted by LifesGood

its hard to get into the routine. hope it gets easier.
what i did was set the alarm, took my temp, shut it back off rolled over and went back to sleep. my therm had a recall last temp thing every time you turn it on so i would record it later when i got up

Mine does the same thing. Very useful feature!