Charting BBT - Highs and Lows

I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

Mostly I'm just trying to get an understanding of the variation that
would occur. Also, I'm on CD 39 and starting last night I started a
slight dark brown bleeding. My temperature is only 97.5, which seems
low for both luteal phase and for pregnancy. I'm thinking it is
possible that I may have not ovulated at all this month. I really wish
I had started charting earlier.

Shannon
--
Shannon

Please remove -NO SPAM from email address to email me personally.

On Mon, 31 May 2004 13:03:16 -0400, Shannon
wrote:
Mostly I'm just trying to get an understanding of the variation that
would occur. Also, I'm on CD 39 and starting last night I started a
slight dark brown bleeding. My temperature is only 97.5, which seems
low for both luteal phase and for pregnancy. I'm thinking it is
possible that I may have not ovulated at all this month. I really wish
I had started charting earlier.

The answer is you won't know until you chart a whole cycle (though I hope
you don't need to be). There is no normal for everyone, only normal for
you, so you need to establish what your coverline is before you can figure
out what is going on. FWIW 97.5 is on the low side and if you are
spotting might mean you temperature has *dropped* and this is your next
cycle starting. My coverline is typically around 97.5 (generally temps
are 97.2-3 pre-O though) and I get a nice clear jump of at least 0.5 at O
- generally above 98.0.

Megan

I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

Are you using just this method to try to get pregnant? If so, I would
consider ditching this method and using the ovulation sticks. My doctor
told me you will miss when you ovulated because by the time you recognize
when your temperature has spiked, ovulation is pretty much over.

ChitaShines wrote:
I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.


Are you using just this method to try to get pregnant? If so, I would
consider ditching this method and using the ovulation sticks. My doctor
told me you will miss when you ovulated because by the time you recognize
when your temperature has spiked, ovulation is pretty much over.


That can be an expensive way to do it. There was actually only one
brand of ovulation stick I ever tested positive on. What charting
did for me was to help me recognize the signs of ovulation (cervical
mucous changes) in my cycle, the temp rise confirmed ovulation. I
became very in tune with my quite irregular cycles. We successfully
used this method to get pregnant twice and to avoid pregnancy for
2years in between.

Using charting in conjuction with ovulation sticks can be very
effective.

Mary

"Shannon" wrote in message
news:2004053113031616807%shannonNOSPAM@sdf1net...
I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

Mostly I'm just trying to get an understanding of the variation that
would occur. Also, I'm on CD 39 and starting last night I started a
slight dark brown bleeding. My temperature is only 97.5, which seems
low for both luteal phase and for pregnancy. I'm thinking it is
possible that I may have not ovulated at all this month. I really wish
I had started charting earlier.

Shannon
--
Shannon

Please remove -NO SPAM from email address to email me personally.


My temps are usually below 98 pre-O and above 98 post-O. They tend to be
high 97s during my period, and slowly go down to low 97, or 96.9 just before
O. Then, 10 days or so of 98+ temps with a drop to just below 98 on the day
of AF. Time of day can have an effect, so I know that if I have a 98.0 temp
on a Sat I sleep in late, it does not mean a rise in temp, just that I slept
late. I have found that if I get up and take my temp in the bathroom (the
thermometer beeps about once a second, which drives DH crazy in the a.m.)
there is no change in temp from just taking it in bed. I think you have a
bit of a grace period before your temp rises, so you can at least get up
before taking your temp. A temp of 97.5 does seem low for pregnancy, but
does not mean you didn't ovulate, because you could have had a bit of a drop
down because of AF. It's the overall pattern that's important, not the
actual temp.
Good luck!
Amy
ttc#1

Temping and charting is a very good way to ttc -- since you know that by the
time your temp rises you've already ovulated, you can make sure to do the
deed in the days preceding your temp rise. Plus, the temp rise, as well as
eggwhite cervical mucus can all correspond to pinpoint ovulation, then your
temps can indicate a pregnancy or not. Much better than paying mucho
dollars every month on OPK's, which can be hard to read and add up,
especially if your cycle is not clockwork.
--

Jamie & Taylor
Earth Angel, 1/3/03

Check out Taylor Marlys -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1,
Password: Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

Check out our Adoption Page at http://home.earthlink.net/~jamielee6


"ChitaShines" wrote in message
m...
I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

Are you using just this method to try to get pregnant? If so, I would
consider ditching this method and using the ovulation sticks. My doctor
told me you will miss when you ovulated because by the time you recognize
when your temperature has spiked, ovulation is pretty much over.

"Shannon" wrote in message
news:2004053113031616807%shannonNOSPAM@sdf1net...
I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

I would say that 96.5 is a more realistic low... I've seen lots of charts
where 97.5 *is* the high temp. Personally, I tend to run around 97 pre-o
with a low of 96.6 right before O... then it springs up to the 97.3-97.5
range. Pg, I run a full degree hotter. So in a cycle where I conceive, I
might range from 96.6 to 98.6....

I found www.fertilityfriend.com to be incredibly helpful for keeping track.
The biggest benefit? I can search the cycle gallery for all the other
weirdos who's charts look like mine...g

I find charting is very, very helpful, as long as I don't obsess about it
too much. Any one day's temperature is meaningless. It is the week, the
month that gives information.

I don't use temp charting to plan bd... I use cervical mucous, which is a
much better "predictor" than temps... but cervical mucous won't tell me that
I've ovulated, it will only tell me my body is thinking about ovulating.
Likewise, temps won't tell me when I'm about to ovulate, but they can give
me a bang up idea of when I already did ovulate.

Any one day's temp can be thrown off by so many variables... did I take the
CPAP off and end up sleeping with my mouth open? My temp will be down... Did
I sleep in hours late snuggled up to a nice furnace of a dh, when he usually
gets up hours before I do? Temp will be as much as half a degree higher than
if I'd taken it "just like normal". But mostly I'm consistent, and mostly
it's a good indicator, and even when it bounces all over the place, i can
get a pretty clear idea of what my body's doing.

Another benefit...when I miscarried, charting my temps was a really clear
indicator of how far, how fast my hormone levels were dropping, and very
reassuring that I would not need further care.

As for ovulation predictor kits..they work for many, but not all women. Some
people ovulate with a lower lh surge than the strips detect. Other people
have chronically high levels and might not ovulate at all, but will get
positive opk tests for weeks. Personally, I think they make better early
hpt's myself. And if you're temping and charting mucus, you really may not
even need the opk if you're willing to have a little more nookie than the
opk might indicate you "have" to... and extra nookie *does* tend to improve
chances for all but couples with low sperm count. So if you're only bd'ing
when the opk says to, you may be lessening your chances over bd'ing every
time you see eggwhite mucus, or the closest you get to that.

Jenrose

On Mon, 31 May 2004 13:03:16 -0400, Shannon wrote:

I was just curious from those of you who chart, what is a typical high
temp and a typical low. I'm reading the book 'Taking Charge of Your
Fertility' and it looks like 97 is the low and 99 is the high.

It can differ enormously. I even notice difference within each cycle, and
between summer and winter cycles. In general, my lows are anywhere between
97 and 98, and my highs are anywhere between 97.8 and 98.5, so as you can
see, there is some overlap. My pattern will typically show a drop to below
97 a few days before O, then only a slow rise until I reach lower 98s.

Mostly I'm just trying to get an understanding of the variation that
would occur. Also, I'm on CD 39 and starting last night I started a
slight dark brown bleeding. My temperature is only 97.5, which seems
low for both luteal phase and for pregnancy. I'm thinking it is
possible that I may have not ovulated at all this month. I really wish
I had started charting earlier.

It takes time to learn to recognize your own specific ovulation pattern.
What worked best for me is combining all fertility signs, that will
usually pin down the day of ovulation within 1 or 2 days.

The first two cycles I didn't see anything, but I ovulated alright. You
need to be very precise the first couple of months of charting: use the
same thermometer all the time, always measure at the same time in the
morning (within half an hour), make sure not to go to the bathroom first
and get at least 4 hours consecutive sleep. Ah well, you read the book.

--
-- I
mommy to DS (July '02)
mommy to three tiny angels (28 Oct'03, 17 Feb'04 & 20 May'04)
guardian of DH (33)

I would say that 96.5 is a more realistic low... I've seen lots of charts
where 97.5 *is* the high temp. Personally, I tend to run around 97 pre-o
with a low of 96.6 right before O... then it springs up to the 97.3-97.5
range. Pg, I run a full degree hotter. So in a cycle where I conceive, I
might range from 96.6 to 98.6....

Yep my pre-O temps were anywhere from in the 96.something degree range to
maybe 97.5. I knew I O'ed cos my temp went up usually a good .5 degrees.
My post-O temps, if I was pregnant, were above 98 degrees.

I find charting is very, very helpful, as long as I don't obsess about it
too much. Any one day's temperature is meaningless. It is the week, the
month that gives information.

True. Looking day by day will drive you a little nuts too.

I don't use temp charting to plan bd... I use cervical mucous, which is a
much better "predictor" than temps... but cervical mucous won't tell me
that
I've ovulated, it will only tell me my body is thinking about ovulating.
Likewise, temps won't tell me when I'm about to ovulate, but they can give
me a bang up idea of when I already did ovulate.

To which I say you can still get pregnant. I have 4 times by having sex the
night of the day my temp jumped up.
CM does make a difference though, and I totally noticed that when I took EPO
this time.

As for ovulation predictor kits..they work for many, but not all women.
Some
people ovulate with a lower lh surge than the strips detect. Other people
have chronically high levels and might not ovulate at all, but will get
positive opk tests for weeks. Personally, I think they make better early
hpt's myself. And if you're temping and charting mucus, you really may not
even need the opk if you're willing to have a little more nookie than the
opk might indicate you "have" to... and extra nookie *does* tend to
improve
chances for all but couples with low sperm count. So if you're only bd'ing
when the opk says to, you may be lessening your chances over bd'ing every
time you see eggwhite mucus, or the closest you get to that.

Jenrose

I just think you can't beat a thermometer, pencil, and paper. You don't
*need* gadgets.

I just think you can't beat a thermometer, pencil, and paper. You don't
*need* gadgets.



lol! But the mad scientist in me *likes* peeing on sticks.... (or peeing in
cups rather, as I'm always worried I'll pee to long or not long
enough...lol!)

Jenrose