Charting/ttc help

[Deleted]

I just started charting last week and am supposed to get my period any day now. According to ff, my bbt spiked a few days ago and it's showing that I ovulated on CD 30. Is this crazy or within the realm of possibility? I'm using this cheapie thermometer and I wonder if I need to buy a better one. Wdyt? My cycles are usually 30-35 days. Could my luteal phase be less than 5 days?

[whitemerlot]

My luteal phase is about 9 days. It was not a problem for me to get pregnant. If this is your first month charting, I would just see what happens over the course of several months. If you're using the website, sometimes it changes the ovulation date as you give more data. Also, if you are coming off hormomal birth control or had anything that disturbed your sleep, it may make your temps inaccurate.

I used a cheap digital thermometer and it worked fine.

You can post a link to your chart here and I"m sure people would be willing to look at it.

[Deleted]

I'm not an expert, but if you started charting in the middle of your cycle, I don't think it will be accurate the first month.

[whitepicketfence]

Nov 17, 2012 11:14:58 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

I'm not an expert, but if you started charting in the middle of your cycle, I don't think it will be accurate the first month.

Yep, this.

You'll need to wait until you've charted for a full cycle (or two) before seeing a real pattern. Also, if you've recently stopped using hormonal BC, that can screw with your cycles a bit, too.

[Deleted]

I ovulated on CD32 with my first pregnancy (first cycle off the pill) so anything is possible, especially when coming off of hormonal BC. I would not put any stock in this month's chart, though. Wait and see what your chart looks like next cycle when you are charting from CD1.

I also was not a fan of temping in general; I found it stressful and gave up about 2 weeks into my first cycle. Since then I have just observed my CM and that's been good enough to generally know when I ovulate. If you do wish to temp, I don't think it's necessary to buy a pricey thermometer, you just want it to be accurate to at least 0.1 degree. I would also recommend getting a thermometer that has a backlit display so you can see your temp in a dark room (I had the Target BBT that was not backlit and it was so annoying. This was 3 years ago though so things may have changed.)

[arch01]

yeah, starting in the middle of a cycle isn't going to give you any valuable info. start on CD1 and go from there.

[drloretta]

Ditto uncharch. If you only started charting last week, this cycle is more of a trial run to get you in the groove. The next few cycles will give you more information.

[Deleted]

Thanks everyone! I will stick with my thermometer for now and see what happens next month.

[curbsideprophet]

I would just use this cycle to get used to temping, recording your temps, etc. Starting so late will not really be accurate.

[pacificrules]

If you just started charting last week, FF doesn't really have enough data to give you an accurate analysis. Your lp can't be 5 days. Just keep charting. You'll see patterns as you have more data entered.

[pacificrules]

Nov 17, 2012 11:14:04 GMT -5 whitemerlot said:

My luteal phase is about 9 days. It was not a problem for me to get pregnant. If this is your first month charting, I would just see what happens over the course of several months. If you're using the website, sometimes it changes the ovulation date as you give more data. Also, if you are coming off hormomal birth control or had anything that disturbed your sleep, it may make your temps inaccurate.

I used a cheap digital thermometer and it worked fine.

You can post a link to your chart here and I'm sure people would be willing to look at it.

I agree!