TTC and Temping....

pattye14

We have only been TTC for a couple of months now but I'm just curious is it a little bit of pain to keep charting your temp and checking other symptoms every day?  I know that everything is worth it in the end, but we were just trying to avoid charting.  DH is worried that it will take some of the fun away from the whole baby making process.  Did you have a hard time temping everyday?  Did it take away from the fun of BD?

BC&MM

I did it and never told DH what was happening every day. The thing I tried to do was to keep it exciting on non-fertile days too.

beewltched

I temped and then plugged it into fertilityfriend.com.  I was doing it so I could see patterns every month.  We didnt get a chance to use it as a serious ttc tool.

spring_time

I did it.  I am not sure that I will do it again.  I have somewhat of an obsessive personality and it became a "thing".  It took all spontaneity away and I spent a lot of time analyzing my temps and symptoms every day.  As time wore on, it only got worse because I thought I had to be doing something wrong.  It took us a total of 18 months.  That is a really long time to obsess about temperatures and, in the end, I don't think it made the least bit of difference.

With that in mind, it isn't a bad idea to do it for maybe 3 months or so just see get a handle on your cycles.  It will give you an idea of when you O every month and your luteal phase.  Just don't let it take over the TTC process. 

MrsRenee

You might want to check out OPKs.  It costs more than charting, but I felt it was easier than charting.  You start so many days after AF and then you stop after you get a positive test- which indicated you're about to ovulate.  They even have digital tests that give you a smiley face when you get a positive test.  It seemed like there was a lot less guess work.  You can easily do this without your DH even knowing.  There's no worry about taking temps first thing in the morning or looking for other signs/symptoms. 

ballerina06

I temped and used OPK's.  We still tried to make things exciting, but it didn't always work out that way.  Sometimes we both felt it was just a quick in and out rather than it being fun.  For the next one I won't be charting or using OPK's at all.

Tarah716

You can try OPK's (Ovulation predictor kits) but know they don't work for everyone.  I NEVER got a +OPK and my chart did show ovulation so....

I charted and found it very helpful, it became such a "thing" to do each morning that I was able to fall right back asleep when I was done.  I have a thermometer that records the last temp so I never had to get out of bed when it beeped.  I just checked it when I finally did wake up.  

It let me know when to expect to TTC each cycle since I never had regular cycles, it also clued me in early on that I wasn't even ovulating for several cycles.  Plus it was nice to know after I had O'd so we could just enjoy each other and it helped me figure out the count down to test or expect AF.

firewife9278

I charted for about 8 months or so in 2009. Once we started fertility treatments, I stopped....however, my new RE requires me to keep a chart so I'm back at it, and started this cycle.

I hate temping. It's stressful. But I don't ovulate on my own so for me it just feels like a hassle this cycle (since we're not medicated).

I actually set my alarm for 5am (an hour before I have to get up), temp, and then go back to sleep for an hour. I find that this works out better for me and helps to keep it consistant. DH never knows what's going on in the chart.