I started charting this month, and since it's all new to me I'm still getting the hang of it.
A few questions for those who do it...
1) The other day DH set my alarm clock for a few minutes too early, so it went off before my phone alarm for temping did. I got out of bed, turned the alarm off and then laid back down and took my temp. The day before it had been 96.3 and that day it was 96.6. Could the jump have been from getting up, or is that "normal"?
2) I woke up in the middle of the night last night and went to the bathroom and had to let the dog out. I went back to sleep for 2 1/2 more hours before my temping alarm went off. My temp today was also 96.6. Is that also "high" compared to my first few days just because I got up at night?
Mostly I'm wondering if I need to make note of these events in the chart and if they would affect the temp that much.
Either one of those probably won't make a difference. I often had slight differences. If you're ovulating regularly, you'll be able to clearly see the jumps/shifts in the temperatures.
Post by countthestars on Oct 11, 2012 7:44:00 GMT -5
1) I think that is probably NBD - I doubt it would have affected your temp much, if at all. I wouldn't note it. It's normal for me to jump around by + or - 0.5 prior to O.
2) I would note that you only got 2.5 hours before temping. I don't think that's considered long enough to "count". I don't think you have to worry about the temps being high or low compared to the days prior, though.
While you are welcome to post here, we have a good group of charting-obsessed girls over on Getting Pregnant that would also be happy to help you out
I have been temping on and off for years. The thing you have to remember is that the pattern is never really easy to see until the end of the cycle. So this little ups and downs mean little in the long run. That said I always make a note of when I don't temp at my normal time. I also almost every night do a zombie pee around 2-3 AM. I habit I can't seem to break. It doesn't seem to really change the outcome of my chart. Since it's the norm for me I just chart my real waking temp.
Post by Ashley&Scott on Oct 11, 2012 8:14:32 GMT -5
I often had broken sleep & middle of the night bathroom trips while charting, but it didn't affect my temps. Since it's your first month I would make a note.
The O temp shift you're looking for will be more drastic than .3, mine would jump a full degree or more.
We're in the "casually trying" phase where we're not disappointed if it doesn't happen (like last month), but would be really happy if it did. I figured it would be worth it to chart to at least have a better idea of my patterns and when I'm probably O'ing during my cycle so we have a better chance when I start to get impatient. (I already know that I will eventually. lol)
Countthestarts - I might have to come over and check out the GP board. I'm just so used to you ladies on the MM boards because I lurked forever on The Nest.
I often had broken sleep & middle of the night bathroom trips while charting, but it didn't affect my temps. Since it's your first month I would make a note.
The O temp shift you're looking for will be more drastic than .3, mine would jump a full degree or more.
This is really helpful, thank you. I wasn't sure how drastic of a change to expect. I'm only on CD5, so I shouldn't be anywhere near O'ing yet, so I figured it wasn't that. I just didn't want to screw things up.
Post by MadamePresident on Oct 11, 2012 14:27:18 GMT -5
If you want to note those things, it probably wouldn't hurt, but your temp is not going to be the same every day even in "perfect conditions where nothing changes". I would say after a few months you'll figure out what is normal for you and if there are certain things that affect your temps. I generally wasn't overly sensitive to things, but did notice that when I would change from summer to winter blankets on the bed, that it would sometimes make a small impact on my chart.