Introduction - TTC at 39 - and question about BBT

roscoe1009

Hi everyone, I am new to this board, I just turned 39 and my husband (46) and I just started TTC a couple months ago.  I look forward to going on this journey with everyone! This is the first month I've started charting my temperature and it seems like to do it right you have to do it perfectly, meaning it has to be at the same time each day and after waking up from at least 3 hours hours of solid sleep.  My problem is I've always been a difficult/inconsistent sleeper so my first month of charting BBT seems rocky, though now I do seem to have noticed a thermal shift.  While my alarm is set for 6:30 M-F, sometimes when it goes off at 6:30a I'm deep in REM sleep, sometimes I've been awake for an hour or more tossing and turning, sometimes I've had a general night of restless sleep.  Does anyone else have sleep challenges and advice on how to handle charting when your sleep is inconsistent?  How "perfect" do you have to be?  It seems like even 45 min difference on when you take your temp (based on my trials) can have a significant impact on your temp.  For some reason I'm finding charting temperature stressful  I think it might even be making my sleep issues worse!  Thanks in advance for any advice! 

PoeMasque

Welcome to the board! I'll be honest, I gave up temping this month because my sleep schedule is all over the place (I work 12 hour shifts and have an hour + drive home at 3am after work). It's just not in the cards for me. Plus any time you are sick you can forget about accurate readings. It was too stressful for me and I actually feel a lot better not having to worry about it!

PoeMasque

Right now I just chart my cycles and check cervical mucous. I'm in the TWW of our 3rd cycle of TTC. If we aren't successful this time I will probably try OPKs next month.

rspalding001

Welcome! I havent started temping yet because of everything you just said. I have heard that as long as you temp before you get out of bed its close enough even if you are not sleeping soundly. Sorry I dont have any really good advice. Good luck!

jennh75b

Welcome and good luck!

roscoe1009

Thank you!  Glad I'm not the only one that thinks this is really hard to get right!  If you don't chart bbt, do you just use OPKs to determine Ovulation? 

MollySm

Welcome! I also am a terrible sleeper. I just try to take my temp when I wake up sometime after 5, even if I haven't gotten 3 hours of sleep. I make sure to only take it once (I have been tempted to take it at different wake ups and that always leads to confusion). Even though my charts aren't perfect, they still show a temp shift at ovulation, so I feel like it's working well enough.

MntnGirl

Welcome!

Happilili

Welcome! I've been temping for a little over a month and I'm not a good sleeper either. I just do the best I can. Its tough. I do try to record my temps each day within 30 mins or 1 hour if I can. I was able to see a change in my temps before and after ovulation. For tracking i use ovia which is easy to use and fertility friend which isnt the prettiest app but it sure is comprehensive and they calculate a base line for your bbt. Fertility Friend reminds you when your bbt timing is too far apart and encourages you to be more consistent. You are not alone. :-)