Temp taking? How/when/huh?

[TanteAC]

Have been fruitlessly ttc for a while now but have never done the temping thing because a. didn't want to get too 'obsessed' and b. believed that because I have PCOS it doesn't work anyway.

But sod that! Need to do something to channel the madness into 'science' to feel in control. SO now the quesion is...

How does it work? What type of thermometer do you use? When do you do it? Will need graph paper?

Any answers gratefully received!
TIA

Get a basal body thermometer (2 decimal places). I bought one from Boots which has a memory and takes about 5 mins to bleep.

You do it first thing in the morning at the same time each day, before you move really. So, alarm goes off, hand reaches to side of bed and shoves thermometer in mouth, I doze for 5 minutes and then it is done.

You record your temp each day and then it will shift up at least 0.2 of a degree (celcius) and stay that way. The shift shoes you have ovulated. Temps go down again when your period starts.

I have graph paper, but you can go to Fertility friend and do an online graph.

Many many answers on Fertility friend.

Doctors can be scathing of temping, but I love it as it (literally!) saved my life once. My doctor moaned about it at the time saying "it doesn't predict ovulation". True, but it does help you see a pattern (if there is one) so you can better tell when you are likely to ovulate. Not sure how it might be affected by PCOS.

Can you get a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Weschler? Fantastic book, if you are going down the obsessional route...

I would recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It has everything you need to know about how and why our reproductive organs work and how to identify the different stages of a cycle.

It gives full information on how to chart to achieve pregnancy and how to use it as a form of contraception. It also has specific chapters about PCOS, breastfeeding, endo etc.

You can take your temp without reading the book, but if you understand why you are temp taking and how to do it, it means you will get correct and accurate information.

You need to take you temp (orally) every morning upon waking (no getting up and having a wee, and then taking your temp) and ideally at the same time. You can use an oral digital thermometer as they are quicker.

Good luck

Truly intrigued now Haliborange: how did it literally save your life then? DO share....

Oh yes, and I forgot to tell you quite an important fact

Temp taking on its own isn't a great way to chart as you only have a temp shift AFTER you have ovulated. Therefore, once you have noticed your temp rise it's too late. However using it along with other information like cervical mucus changes can be really affective.

Fedup - I was a day late, BFN, period (bleed for 5 days, lots of backache). A week after that stopped I felt a bit pregnant (but then when I am ttc I generally do), checked my chart and my temp had never gone down to non-pregnant levels. The chart promoted me to do a test (BFP) but I knew, because my temps were not as high as I would have expected with a normal pg that something was wrong. Long story short - ectopic pregnancy. I wouldn't even have known I was pregnant were it not for the chart. So as far as I am concerned charting temps rocks.

Ooo thanks everyone! Gawd I love a new book as well

x