A technical question for Weschler/ charting devotees.....

[pendulum]

Hello all,
I posted a lot on here earlier this year but have taken a bit of a back seat lately as was getting stressed about the TTC not working. Congratulations to all those who have got their BFPs in the last few months!

I have been charting for 4 months now and have 2 questions about the temperature rise. Do you find that there is a pattern to your charts, or does the temp rise happen in different ways? For instance, Weschler describes different patterns in the book- "slow climb", "stair step" etc, but it's not clear whether the differences are supposed to be experienced by the same woman over different cycles, or if every woman has her "own" pattern. (Does that make sense?) My charts are a bit erratic and I wonder whether it's just my body settling down after the Pill, or whether it's normal to differ between months.

The second question is whether other people's coverline moves around from month to month. Mine has been variously 35.9, 36.2 and 36.4.

Thanks for any tips.

Hi Pendulum, how are you??

I meant to post on this thread sooner, but got sidetracked... sorry. I haven't got the book yet (hoping to get some tokens for Christmas) but I am keen to know the answer to your question, and therefore hopefully this will bump it up for someone in the know to see it????

This is my second cycle charting, although the first one I didn't start from CD1. My coverline has been in a different place both times, and I too wonder if this is normal??

Hope you get your BFP soon, have you been trying a long time??

My pattern did differ from month to month, but my coverline was generally within +- 0.1 degree each time. I think a fair bit of variation is quite normal, though.

Bumping for some more insight and opinions???

oh yippee, thanks for your replies Rudolph and Port andlemonaid, I was just beginning to think I had posted the first "dead" conception thread for weeks!

I don't recognise your names because of the whole xmas thing- have we chatted before?

I have been trying for 7 months so not very long really, although it feels like ages- when I started in june I thought "I'll definitely be PG by xmas" but time is running out and I am just SO IMPATIENT! How about you?

When I posted I had just been taken by surprise by a "slow climb" temp rise 10 days earlier than usual (have been ov-ing lateish at 25 days or so) but it has stayed up so am now 6 DPO.

Would be great to hear from other charters.

Sorry, I think I may have misled you there, I don't think we have ever chatted or anything, but I was keen to know the answers to your questions, and thought it would have been rude not to talk to you, hence asking some questions (which was probably more rude now I think about it!)

I have been called Ready4motherhood, then shortened it to Ready, now the festive name for December.

This is my 3rd cycle of trying, and I am so impatient too, I was so hopeful that I would be able to tell our mums at Christmas, but it's not to be. I think AF is on her way tomorrow because of cramps and a dip in temps.

There is a thread here where they discuss each others charts. I am sure they wouldn't mind answering your questions, it's possible that they have just missed your original post. I ask them lots of questions as I haven't succumbed to the software yet, I've got a little booklet with my thermometer, and I quite like it (for the moment)

Fingers crossed for you!!

Thanks Rudolph, might try that. I have the booklet too (from Boots). Have had a go with the software on free trial but you have to put in so much info and I find it easier just marking it in the book straight away rather than booting up the PC first thing in the morning.

Fingers crossed that your AF stays away- will look out for any news on the main thread.

Cheers
P

Hi Pendulum, I remember you. I think we joined MN about the same time (I'm MrsMcJnr under a festive guise). Sorry to hear you still trying, so am I fingers crossed that it won't be for much longer and you get your BFP soon

I have been charting for 6 months now and the charts are so different that they could belong to 6 different women. That said, my cycle lengths and time of OV are similar. I do tend to dip before OV and rise for a few days to complete the thermal shift and I do tend to dip and spot before AF but otherwise, they all look different. My coverline does change a bit but not dramatically. I tend to have quit low temps prior to OV.

If you want to have a look, we have a chart posting thread and a discussion thread solely about the charts, you're welcome to join us as Ready has already said .

Hope this helps! Do you use the software? it does really help as it gets to know you and I like the fertility planner.

Thanks MrsMc, it's really helpful to hear that your charts vary between months too. The only criticism I have of the Weschler book is that it implies each woman has "her" pattern (except for OV, she does make sure we all know that can move around!!)

And you're right, we did start MN-ing around the same time (july I think). Seems like a long time ago although it's not!

If I can join the chart spotters thread without an online chart to show, then I will- see you there!

I agree, it would be helpful if that was clear. My chart this cycle is really odd, my temp has been exactly the same for the last 5 days and my thermometer does seem to be working

Am I remembering rightly that you were a newly wed when you joined too? I sometimes feel sad that our first 6 months of marriage have been strained a little because we want a baby so much and it is taking us time .

You're welcome to join even if you just chat and share temps from time to time if you want to discuss them, babydust to you

Hi, Ive been charting for 5 months now despite TTC since time began - only learnt the charting game from Weschler's book (BTW - Ready, I picked mine up from Ebay for £8.00 and was in really good order ).

Anyway all of mine have had roughly the same shape to them and ovulated around day 12 or 13 with a slight dip before ov. and a huge dip before AF. Other than the shape the temperatures do differ. However this month, very strange - a flat temp below the cover line and a flat temp (around 36.40 above the cover line) no nice bell curve. According to Weschler this could be underactive thyroid activity....I shall watch and wait - such a peculiar business this! but no doubt my consultant may find it useful when I see him in Jan. Hope this helps pendulum - in short look for the pattern rather than the actual temps and see if you notice anything.

Snowyowlet - I don't think you need to worry about thyroid if you are getting higher temps after OV. I read into that quite alot as my pre-OV temps are around 35.9 and I have had some concerns about my thyroid before. Funnily enough, my temps have been very steady this cycle (I am cd9) and I was taking it as a really good sign. Another book I read said that your temps shouldn't really fluctuate much if your hormones are in balance!

Thanks for the reassurance MrsMc. Today it jumped up from seven days at 36.4 to 36.7 - trying not to get excited as this has been my weirdest chart yet and I have cramps - Wed is the day of reckoning - so keeping fingers and legs crossed

Hello again- I'm still here! Am 12 DPO and expecting AF tomorrow. Want to wait until she arrives before joining on other thread for some superstitious reason!

My temp is right up high this morning ( I have had three triphasic charts in a row) but got a BFN yesterday (First Response) so am pretty resigned to a drop tomorrow. Maybe I'll have to start the January thread??

BTW MrsMc 'twas not me who was the newlywed- I've been married about 4 1/2 years!

oooh sorry snowyowlet, forgot to wish you lots of luck for an AF no show tomorrow!

You've had plenty of responses already but thought I'd stick my twopenneth in.

Firstly, welcome back, I remember you (I was ShowOfHands pre Christmas madness). I followed Weschler and used her charts and found that my pattern changed, coverline shifted each month and my temp rise seemed to be different in pattern from month to month. It all made sense though, temp always rose one way or another, always had a clear coverline and temp dipped on day af started.

Then came August...

I'd had a m/c in June and a normal af afterwards, then August was a nightmare, temp all over the shop, no rise to be seen and some very high and very low temperatures at times. I wrote that month off, assumed I hadn't ovulated and blamed the m/c. Turns out I got pg that cycle. Goodness knows how, but I think giving up and just relaxing for that month did the trick.

Sorry, rambling, but the essence of my post is (I think) that it does change from month to month for some and it's no bar to getting pg (currently 18wks!).

Good luck!!!

And it took me a year to conceive- completely normal amount of time so don't panic just yet!

Hi SOH Lovely to hear from you- I remember you well.

Thanks for your comments, they are really interesting. Seems I am normal(ish) after all!

Hope you are enjoying your pregnancy xx