Discovery Home & Health

My very, very delayed AF arrived on Saturday 16 April. I started charting my body temperature etc with Fertility Friend (www2.fertilityfriend.com). What are people's views on charting body temperature and how successful is it when trying to work out ovulation? My temp today was 96.5 - is that normal or does it vary so much from person to person. I'm taking my temp at around 6.30 before I get out of bed.

Also I checked my cervical mucus when getting out of the bath a couple of nights ago and it was like egg white - but I'm on my period????

Help - I need guidance on this.

Hi tinyem
We've been discussing this on the coming off the pill thread and the Spotting before a period thread. Well, I've been discussing it anyway!!! You can come onto either of them if you like and join in the chat.

I've been charting two cycles now but last cycle I didn't start in time to detect OV and this cycle I think I'm meant to be OV'ing this week but no temp rise as yet so unsure.

Have you read Taking Control Of Your Fertility by toni weschler? it was recommended to me on these pages and is really good - explains everything you need to know about charting.

i can't comment on your temps as I work in Celsius and don't understand F!!! But TCOYF says that you shouldn't worry too much about daily temps - it's the overall monthly pattern that you should look at - ie the rise after OV!

It also depends on why you are charting as temp charting only tells you once you've OV'd - your temp goes up the day AFTER OV so it's not the best predictor of when you're most fertile given that you really want to be BD'ing on OV day itself. Checking CM is the best way according to TCOYF - I probably sound like a total expert on this but I'm not... it's just that the book is brilliant!!!

Hope this helps - but feel free to come over onto one of the other threads and take it from there
Loocy xx

Hi Loocy

Thanks for your reply.

I think I will get hold of that book - it sounds very interesting. The thing with charting temperature I guess is the fact that other conditions also affect BBT such as general health, heating in the house etc. I'm trying to keep the conditions in the house (i.e. central heating) off so that I don't get a false reading. For the last few days since AF I've been three days 96.5, today and yesterday I have been 96.6 - this is weird!

Hi tinyem
I wouldn't worry about daily fluctuations in your temperature as this is normal - mine varies between 36.1 and 36.4 C during my pre-OV cycle.[] I think I've just OV'd because my temp shot up to 36.9 and 37.1 (although I have a cold!) - a big difference even taking the cold into consideration. I also wouldn't worry too much about things like heating as if you take your temp at the same time every day then it will even itself out. Apparently even taking your temp an hour later or earlier than your normal time can result in a difference of +/- 0.1C!!!

Stick with it and hopefully you'll start to notice a pattern!!!
good luck
Loocy xx[]

Hi Tinyem & Loocy,

I'll try and help, although I'm still relatively new to this myself. I've posted a couple of times on a couple of the other threads about OV pains (really bad ones) which at the moment are my only sign of OV taking place (CM is all over the place so I can't rely on it). According to TCOYF (which I agree with Loocy is a fantastic book), if you have been taking BCP for a while it can damage the cervical crypts which produce CM. Consequently it can take a little while for CM production to revert to normal, but it should do eventually (forgive me if I get anything wrong, I don't have the book with me). Also, Tinyem, I don't know how old you are, but the older you get the less EWCM you tend to produce. Regarding EWCM whilst having AF it's not something I've come across. Sorry, having just re-read this, I'm not really being much help at all, sorry[:I]

I have been charting for the first time this month (I'm on CD12)and my temps also seem to fluctuate from day to day. My biggest concern is the fact that I'm quite a light sleeper so I can wake up briefly a few times during the night so I may not always have a full 3 hour block of continuous sleep - is this likely to make a huge difference? I'm reluctant to temp in the middle of the night as this would soon get on DH's nerves - he's very understanding but I think the thermometer beeping in the wee small hours might get on his wick!

It's amazing really, I'm 34 and reasonably intelligent and yet until we started on this TTC lark I was utterly clueless about how my body really works!

Take care,
Ellie x

Hi Ellie,

Im the same, I hardly ever get 3 hours continuous sleep before I take my temp in the morning but Ive been doing for the last 2 months and it works out not too bad. I know that I ov'd on CD19 last month and CD17 this month but only because of temping. Before I was temping, we were having sex at the wrong time because most people say it should be around CD14 which mine totally wasnt so it was no wonder i wasnt conceiving. So personally I think it would still be well worth it for you to temp......

I was totally clueless about how my body works too! Its amazing isnt it. The book Taking Charge of your Fertility is brilliant and well worth the money, taught me loads!

Suede x

Hi there Suede

I started charting with fertility friend starting last week and I had a temperature surge on day 8! I started on around 96.4 and it went up to 96.8. I did take some epsom salts the night before to clear out my system as I'm heavily congested at the moment - that may be why? It went down back to around 96.4/96.4 ish after that so I doubt that I'd be ovulating then. My cycle is usually around 30 - 32 days so I'll monitor it closely this week.

Hi Tinyem,

Yeah it was probably the salts that did that I reckon especially as the temp went back down again. Although sometimes mine go up and down when I ov but they then stay high normally for 11-13 days until AF arrives. Keep going and you should see a pattern. If your cycle is normally around 30-32 days, I wouldnt think you'd ov at day 8, more like around CD14-CD21......

Suede x

Hi Suede

I think you may be right - I'm a little run down at the moment with a cold etc so it may be something to do with that too.

I was working out my temperatures wrong but since I corrected them they look to be really fluctuating all the time. Today I'm 97.8 yesterday I was the same.