BBT testing newbie

[TigerLily04]

Hi everyone just looking for advice. I did start manually testing bbt last year but to be honest kept forgetting when I woke up.

I have a new watch which does it automatically so I’ve been tracking it this month.

Seen on here some posts and I’ve googled to death but thought you experts would be best to ask.

I ovulated on CD16 as I got a positive CB smiley on CD15 so… am I looking for my bbt to keep rising and that’s a sign of pregnancy but if it were to drop around CD29, that would be a sign AF is coming? AF is due 21st (CD30) and I’m usually very regular so expecting it would be.

Ok now I really need help… such a huge drop on 9dpo?!

Hi OP, generally they say your bbt starts to drop a day or two before AF. For me it never did and would only start to drop once my AF arrived. It’s usually a gradual drop. Did you have a restless night ? I know sometimes they say you can have an implantation dip, I never had that either.

I had a really restless sleep waking up every hour or so, so I’m assuming that’s the reason 🤷🏻‍♀️ it just seems like such a huge drop. I should have manually tested it when I seen but by that point it would have been too late as I was out of bed.

I know only time will tell but god the emotional rollercoaster when tracking everything is a nightmare.

The watches are total shite for BBT unfortunately, which I learned the hard way after buying an Apple Watch specifically for that.

You probably were too warm that night and slept with your arms out on the duvet, which makes your temp drop loads. Nothing to do with your menstrual cycle.

At a certain point I binned the BBT as I knew I was ovulating regularly (I used the LH strip tests though). Not worth the stress, and if you do get pregnant, it won't be worth the stress of watching it then too and panicking if it goes down a bit.

I was always a little bit sceptical of tracking bbt because I know there’s so many factors that can affect it@mushroomushroom so I agree with you at the moment 😂

I was trying to be so chilled about it all this month and not test early and just be like what will be will be… and then this happened and the google deep dives start and second guessing everything so yeah I think for long term it’s not great because it just becomes another thing to obsess over. Thank you for your comment! Really helped to stop the stress!

Hey @TigerLily04 when are you planning to test? I’m in a similar boat to you - my BBT seemed to spike again slightly at 6/7 DPO and then dropped this morning 7/8DPO. Hoping it was an implantation dip! I’ve felt quite on and off crampy and had a really sharp shooting pain on my right side near my belly button last night which I remember getting with my 1st preg so I have my fingers crossed!

do you have any symptoms?

If mine hadn’t dipped so much I’d be hoping for the same!!

Before I had my MC last year I never got sore boobs or cramps or nausea but it feels like every month gives me a whole set of symptoms now like pregnancy before AF which is just a really cruel trick. So yeah I have very tender boobs and an ache on the left side which is a bit like ovulation pain but less severe. But I just don’t trust these symptoms anymore as I’ve started getting them every month 😂

I only have one test in because I’m fed up of testing like a psycho every month. So I haven’t bought any and I’m just going to try and wait it out. With my last pregnancy I got my BFP at 12dpo so if I do test early it won’t be until Wednesday.

Id love a crystal ball to be able to see the future 😂

tell me about it! 🤣

How does your BBT chart look this morning!? @TigerLily04

Thankfully went back up to pretty much where it was! So it was just a weird dodgy reading! @HopefulCove

how are you feeling today? I’ve felt really sickly and off food which is not like me at all. But again, I know I’m just over obsessing symptom spotting 😂

Oh wow maybe that was a really intense implantation dip!!

I felt like I was out this morning, felt pretty “normal” but since about 4pm I’ve started feeling crampy/twingy/uncomfortable feelings in my lower abdomen again so now I’m also obsessively symptom spotting haha! Other than that I’m just constantly hungry and thirsty.. which I did get in previous pregnancies (but all of these could just be intense PMS symptoms 🤣)

I always have hope, every time I’ve been the loo today I’ve looked for a slight bleed 😂 it’s crazy what trying for a baby does to you isn’t it.

Well I hope those twingy cramps are a good sign for you!! When are you planning to test? I’m going to wait until Wednesday, possibly Thursday if I can hold out.

Same haha! Even though I’ve had 3 pregnancies (2x MC) and never once had an implantation bleed 🤣🙈 my most obvious early symptom in my last pregnancy was sore boobs, because I NEVER get sore boobs so I just knew. Where as this time I’m not sure…

Im also going to hold out until Wednesday… I think I’ll be around 12DPO so should know by then!

That was my very first symptom too!! In my first pregnancy I knew I was pregnant about 5dpo bevause one day I woke up and had the sorest boobs, I have never had any feeling in my boobs before. Never got PMS soreness or anything and had no feelings in my nipples at all. Then suddenly I was like owwww and could barely touch them… since my MC I now get sore boobs every month 🙈 it’s so cruel what the body does 😂

Well my bbt is back to increasing so I have no idea what’s happening and hoping it’s a good sign. I am praying this is the month for us. The baby we lost would have been due this month. I’ve spent the last couple of days with emotions all over the place literally going from laughing to crying in the space of 5 seconds so hoping that’s pregnancy related and not just PMS or that I’m completely mentally unstable 😂

Haha same!! How weird 🤣

my BBT also went up slightly this morning too and my Oura ring app said my resting heart rate and overall body temp was higher last night so I’m hoping that means something is happening!!

I am really fighting the urge not to test tonight when I get home from work 😬😬 been having the weird feelings in my lower abdomen on and off all day but there’s just something telling me this month isn’t the month…

how do you feel? Are you testing tomorrow?

Oh that’s a good sign isn’t it!! I only found out today about heart rate increasing 😂 been TTC for a year and feel like there’s so much I don’t know!

I know I’m the same, needed a wee before and was like “ooo I haven’t wee’d for about 3 hours so I could use this to test” I didn’t though. I think I’m scared I’ll get a negative so I’m trying to think ignorance is bliss at the moment and just hoping it’s happening.

im going to see what bbt is tomorrow and then maybe test… im due on on Friday so I am assuming bbt will start to drop from tomorrow in prep for Friday? So if that stays high im taking it as a sign to test 🙈

Omg I’m the same! I know if I take a test and it’s negative it’s just going to piss me off 🤣 but then my head is like (but what if it’s positive…)

I’m not sure when my AF is due as this is my first cycle post miscarriage but I imagine I am also due around the weekend. Also something is deffo happening inside… but it could just be my body gearing up for a period!

when was your MC? How many weeks were you? I don’t think I will ever enjoy an early pregnancy again because of the anxiety after finding out twice at a scan…

I did it 🤦🏻‍♀️ wish I hadn’t… BFN ☹️ I know you’re not out till AF shows but I feel at 12dpo on a FRER there would be something.

I hope you have more luck this month!!! 🤞🏼have you tested this morning?

My MC was last September. Well it started the last day of August so early sept. I was 8 weeks on the dot but I’d know since 6 weeks that it wasn’t going to work out as it was a PUL and then ectopic and then finally “resolved” itself into a MC. How far along were you with yours?

I feel the same as you, I won’t relax even knowing I am pregnant. We had been officially trying just 2 months with tracking ovulation and cycle and it just happened so quickly we were overjoyed it had not been a stress and we were pregnant and then the unthinkable happened. We were just so naive about the whole TTC journey and how for so many people it’s not an easy journey at all. It’s definitely made me respect the miracle of making a baby a lot more and it’s made me angry that so many women are in the same boat.

I hope you get a positive result 🤞🏼 let me know how you get on!!

Hello, I just wanted to say I’ve tracked two pregnancies successfully with an Apple Watch, but I did have to modify how I used it. I had to make sure the sensor was on the inside of my wrist and not too loose or too tight. I also had to set it up to automatically take my temp at 5am, so a separate alarm just for BBT, not whenever I woke up. It was the only way to ensure I got it at the exact same time
and exact same point of wakefulness, as sometimes I’d wake up a bit before my usual alarm, and sometimes I’d sleep right through to it. If the temp was taken literally as the alarm pulled me out of sleep, it was accurate (within a point or two of a manual BBT thermometer I was also using).

It also showed my heart rate gradually increasing, which didn’t tend to happen as steeply for me when approaching a period. Before I did those things, my BBT via watch was all over the place, but your chart looks pretty good.

I also had a massive dip in both my pregnancy charts, though I believe that’s an oestrogen surge and not implantation for me, personally.

Thank you @KittyFantastica that’s really interesting! I usually only turn my watch to the inside when I’ve done my tan 😂 but yeah I’ll deffo start doing that of a night!
My wake up times are usually quite routine except for when I’m in the office but that’s a good plan, I’ll start having a separate bbt alarm I think so it is accurate. Thank you for the tips!! 🙏🏼

I am 90% sure that I’m out too :( BFN this morning at 12 DPO and in my previous pregnancies I start testing positive around 9/10 DPO. My temp also dropped a bit this morning.

I just want my period to come now 😩

I saw a heart beat at 6 weeks in October but baby was measuring a week behind so I kind of had a feeling it wasn’t going to be successful. I then found out at 8 weeks 5 days baby stopped growing at 8 weeks 3 days but was a MMC. Had to have a surgery late November, then had retained product and lots of heavy bleeding and only just got a negative test end of Feb so it was quite a traumatic and drawn out journey.

Im thinking of not trying next month and then starting again in May.

I’m just so impatient and really convinced myself I would definitely be pregnant again before my due date (June 2025) ☹️☹️

Omg I’ve just come on! Like 2/3 days early as well which is weird! Clearly my body is still trying to sort itself out post MC.

Hoping you’re still in for a chance this month 🤞🏻@TigerLily04

Oh no! Ah I’m so sorry. Maybe it is just your body getting back in to sync and recovering. It’s so horrible when you’re so sure this is THE month as well 😔

Your MC was just horrible I’m so sorry you went through all of that. For it to go on for so many months too. Our bodies are amazing what they go through and then heal so just try and tell yourself how well it’s working. That’s all that got me through after my MC. Just trying to feel grateful I didn’t have to have surgery for the ectopic and or that horrible injection.

I know how you feel though. I am the most impatient person ever, if I want something I want it NOW!! Haha and everyone is like “awww it will happen for you” and I’m just like yeah but when? I need a date, I need a time, tell me when?! 😂

I’ve booked in some fertility acupuncture for the next 2 months and spent the day researching IVF 🙃 I just feel like I need to do something proactive.

im still hopeful for a positive but I’m the same as you, this late near AF being due I don’t think it will be especially with that stark white test this morning.

Hey @TigerLily04 how are you getting on? I’m having the weirdest non existent period ever!!! And it’s making me panic. I’ve had 3x days of like brown spotting with small releases of blood but compared to my normal heavy periods this is so odd. Did you have a 1st light period back after MC?

Hiii @HopefulCove

Oh god our bodies love to mess with us don’t they!!
Have you taken another test? Just in case it’s spotting with it being brown rather than full red? 🤞🏼
My first day period after the MC was pretty normal, on the heavy side but ok. Your body has been through a lot so it might just take a cycle to get back into sync so try not to worry too much.

My AF arrived with vengeance overnight, my bbt had dropped yesterday morning so I knew it was on its way. My husband gets back from work the day after I ovulate this cycle so praying i ovulate a little bit later or he gets home earlier so we can try this month 🤞🏼

Yup! I hate how much it all consumes your mind.

Yeah I did another test last night and very much negative ☹️ the “bleeding” has tapered off to brown blood and has pretty much stopped now… so weird.

are you TTC for your first? I was going to leave this month trying but now the period thing has stressed me out so think I will see if we can catch ovulation! 🤣 when do you think you’re due to ovulate in April? X