First month temping, well past predicted ov, no temp change

[Ashmolean]

Hello everybody! Is there anyone out there with experience with temping? I am on day 19 of a 31 day cycle, and this is my first month temping, trying to conceive number two. I was expecting to ovulate on day 17, but there's been absolutely no sign of a temperature change. I did have some EWCM at the weekend (day 15/16) but not much. AF is pretty regular for me, between 29 and 32 days, so even if I was at the latter end of that I would have expected to ov by now.

On fertilityfriend it says assume you might ovulate until you have evidence one way or another - ie AF comes, or a temp rise, whichever first. But my DH and I have shagged every night for about ten days and we're knackered!

Should I just assume that this is an anovulatory cycle? Or keep going? The only thing that gives me hope is that I have been taking my temp at different times depending on when DD wakes up, anywhere between 5am and 7am. Would that make it difficult to see a pattern? Surely I would have seen some kind of rise by now if I'd Ov'd!?

Sorry this is really long but any advice would be really welcome!!!

I would say keep going am afraid!

Both months I fell pregnant I ovulated on day 24 (ended in MMC) and day 26. My average ov is day 19 but can be day 14.

Fat lady hasnt sung yet but yeah it is knackering isnt it! I got to the stage where I wanted DH to wank into a cup and get a syringe!

Temping is a bit of retrospective 'sport'. You need to do it for a few months to get a real idea of what's going on.

A temp rise is usually indicative of ov but its not a given. Its better to take the temps in conjunction with ov signs such as cm, mood changes (can get 'fruitier' at ov!), sore boobs etc....

I think you prob need to just keep temping - unfortunately taking it at different times can effect it but there is also the possibility that you might ov later this month.

Are you using a thermometer that reads to 2 decimal points?

My temps end up all over the place so I used to use it to track my cycles more than predict ov.

Have you got a link to your chart? (always like a good peruse of someone else chart!)

Wow, fast response, thanks! Not sure how to link to my chart, but will have a go. It's a bit all over the place. I did temp when TTC first baby and we were so lucky, only needed one chart as it happened first month which also showed a text book temp rise on day 17, so I was sort of expecting the same! But have been rushing around and been a bit mad and knackered, and not eating enough, so I suppose that could have affected it.

Well I have a 29 day cycle but don't seem to ovulate till day 18 or 19 so you may not have ovulated yet.

Also it sometimes it takes Fertility friend a few days to detect a temperature shift, so you may already have ovulated and FF has just not picked it up yet.

Taking your temps at different times can affect the reading. I think if this is the case you need to do it over few months before you start to see a pattern.

HTH

Yes next month I will take it at 7am without fail, and see if I get a better chart. I was just pretty convinced it would happen by now as I've been looking for signs for a few cycles and always have EWCM at around the 'right' time (ie just before CD17), so think that if I haven't ovulated yet that's a change from the norm.

Don't forget ewcm can appear quite a few days before ov occurs....

Its a bit of mine field this ttc lark, eh?

It certainly is! The very first temp I got today was higher, but then I took two more immediately afterwards and they varied - but were lower. Very confusing! I've been reading the other thread on a similar subject and it seems I need to persevere for more months to work out my pattern. I put the first recording into fertility friend today and it seems to think using that that I ovulated back on Tuesday! Well, here's hoping that all that hard work over the past ten days has been worth it! I think I'll give DH a break tonight ...! Thanks for your responses!

always put it in same place in your mouth. Take the first temp- and I always leave it for a minute or so after it has stopped beeping as I find my temp will keep creeping up after the beeps.

I used to fiddle my temps something desperate- I sooo wanted high temps to stay high (sign of pregnancy) that I wouldn't sleep with mouth open, keep arms inside duvet- heck almost nearly used a hot water bottle! Completely defeating the point.

It does get so much easier to see once you get used to it. I have been doing it for years now and see a really obvious shift but still stresses me out as my ovulation has ranged from day 13 to day 26 in that time!

Hi Thandeka! I'm glad to know you've fiddled your temps too as I can't help feeling that maybe I've fiddled mine today, as the first temp was high so I seized on that. No idea if it was 'real' or not, but hoping it was just so there's a chance I could conceive this month. I've tried taking the temp vaginally but it just makes me feel like a cow!

Well I have had fertility friend be evil on me and say I ov'd so we had a rest but carried on temping and then it moved my ovulation based on subsequent temps! Grrrr!

Just to warn you....

Agree with Thandeka - you need to make sure the thermometer is in the same place in your mouth and you need to only pay any attention to the first temp. My thermometer used to take about 5 mins to take a reading so that was long enough but I found some of the faster thermometers quite variable and would have left them in for longer.

It is really important to take your temp at the same time each day. I've been temping on and off for something like 5 years and have noticed huge variations if I take it at a different time. Because I temped for such a long time I could usually spot ov anyway, but it does take practice.

Re this cycle I would try to keep at it for a couple more days. If you can bear to get to day 22 or 23 you will probably have covered all bases even if you don't see a rise. For future reference, you probably don't need to have sex every day - that sounds rather exhausting - if you can manage every other day it should do the trick, hopefully within a few cycles, and then hopefully sex won't turn into a chore!

Thanks Mrs Happy and Thandeka. Today my temp returned to 36.0 (from a one-off reading of 36.4 yesterday) and so fertility friend revised its assessment to say I have not ovulated. I feel really depressed! Is there any chance that I could have ovulated without a clear temp shift, if I had EWCM at the weekend? Clutching at straws here ...

Ashmolean - never say never but I think it unlikely to ov without a temp rise. Although as you've been taking temps at different times etc your readings might not be terribly accurate anyway.

Are you using the right sort of thermometer for this? One with 2 decimal places? It does make it easier to see patterns if you have the extra info IME.

If you haven't already I really recommend getting a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler - it can really help you figure the charting malarky out.

It does seem unlikely doesn't it. I guess at least I'll have a likely reason if it doesn't happen this month. No, I've only got a thermometer with one decimal place. I have tried taking my temp vaginally, and it's a lot higher, and it seems more consistent. Maybe I should try that way next month.