temping, when am I supposed to start?

flyliceandcoffee

So, AF finally made her appearance last night, so I figured if we're gonna stay on this baby making train, I might as well do it up. From what I understand, you temp before you get out bed, and hopefully that's around the same time every morning (we'll see how feasible that is), but how do you know WHEN in your cycle to start temping? Like do I wait until AF is gone or am I supposed to start now to get the best accurate picture?

WinoGrrl

i started temping right when AF ended. I think some people like to do it throughout the whole cycle to get a full picture but I'm still just trying to get into the habit. I keep having things come up (cat puking making me get up and clean it up, H rolling around in the bed waking me up, a cold, etc) that make me think my temps this cycle are totally out of whack. 

kelley72

Start now, or wait a few days, ff will need six days of temps prior to your thermal shift to indicate ovulation.   If you tend to ovulate early, or want the extra habit forming practice, I'd suggest starting now or perhaps Monday if during the work week you get up closer to the same time.  I sometimes don't temp during 2ww all the way until cd8 or so, but I have years of charting history.  Best wishes!

meredithcarole

I am only on my 2nd month of charting, but I like having a lot of data so I temp every day. I started CD2 last month. Of course, bodies aren't always 100% predictable (as evidenced by my post this morning), but I do like having an overall view.

flyliceandcoffee

@WinoGrrl I have a feeling my temps are going to be not all that useful either because DD never wants to get up at the same time every day and it's ALWAYS before we would normally get up. ha!

@kelley72 that's good to know about FF, I did not know that. since I've never temped before. Thanks!

kelley72

@flyliceandcoffee  well I may have misspoken, six days prior thermal shift ff will readily give you ch's, but it will give you ch's but will take more than 3 higher temps to give them.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, you'll get in the hang of it.  Some ladies don't need to take their temp at the same time to get noticeable thermal shifts.  For some women getting at least 3 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep is sufficient. 

c018924

I temp daily but on weekends definitely not at same time as weekdays.... Just make sure to do it before you get up...you will definately get fluctuations but it should still show your pattern...I was sceptical last month but it worked out

tlc35

I temp daily and don't take a break during my period because if I get out of the habit it takes me a few days to get back into it.  Some people don't temp during their period but I would start now so that you get used to remembering.  I don't worry about what time, I just temp the first time I wake up in the morning and have always been able to see a shift.

flyliceandcoffee

thanks ladies! we'll see how it does I suppose.

URMySunshine77

tlc35 said:

I temp daily and don't take a break during my period because if I get out of the habit it takes me a few days to get back into it.  Some people don't temp during their period but I would start now so that you get used to remembering.  I don't worry about what time, I just temp the first time I wake up in the morning and have always been able to see a shift.

@tlc35: This is exactly my experience. If I didn't temp during my period or the TWW, I would probably forget half of the time.

ETA: tag

ewenner

I temp every single day, so that it is a habit.  Otherwise, I'd probably forget.  Also, my work schedule varies, so the time a wake up every morning varies and I have lots of ups and downs on my charts, but even with those variations, I still see a clear thermal shift every cycle.  So, I guess my recommendation is to start tomorrow!  

C_Girlie

Start now. Try to temp @ the same time daily with at least 3 hours of sleep. As soon as you wake up have the thermometer in arms reach & do it. I've been temping since Feb, & it's part of my daily routine. Good luck

northernkhaleesi

I agree. I temp everyday - getting into the habit takes some time, but it makes it easier to see fluctuations. We all know that sometimes life makes it difficult to temp at exactly the same time - but as PP's have said, as long as you do it before getting out of bed and have had 3-4 hours uninterrupted sleep you should be fine!

meredithcarole

kelley72 said:

@flyliceandcoffee  Some ladies don't need to take their temp at the same time to get noticeable thermal shifts.  For some women getting at least 3 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep is sufficient. 

This is true for me. I occasionally work super early and what I discovered last month was that generally my temps don't swing too wildly if I temp at 5:00 am, 8:15 (my "time") or 10:15 (the latest I have allowed myself to sleep). Perhaps it doesn't matter for me because my temp shift is pretty dramatic after I O so small fluctuations aren't going to throw off the data.

HeathernSteven

Hey I am going into my 2nd year of temping, I set my alarm for 6 every morning, even on weekends. I wake up pop in the thermometer that is in the draw next to me, if its a weekend I turn alarm off and go back to sleep.

I often skip during AF but I test until, because during the luteal phase I know when AF will arrive because of my temps. Its the only way for me to know because I am not regular.

Fertility Friend has many tutorials on how to temp. Good Luck!