Is temping necessary?

mrspieWed180300 · February 2013

Newbie alert!!

My husband and I recently started TTC. We considered TTC before, and we went off BC for about a month. The charting got a little too intense and stressful, so we went back on BC. A few months later, and here we are, TTC again! We decided that this time, we would give it another shot without obsessing over ovulation. Has anyone else had luck with TTC without obsessing over ovulation dates? I know the general time frame that I am ovulating, and I think I'm pretty in tune with my body to know when a good time is. Also, I have a high-stress job, as does my husband, so we want to TTC without the added stress of charting and temping.

mrspieWed180300 · February 2013

Sorry you guys. I'm trying to figure out how to change my avatar to not by my face since our families don't know we're TTC. I'm new, so I'm really confused on how to figure this stuff out!

mrspieWed180300 · February 2013

Thanks!

I'm not really wanting anyone to tell me whether or not I'm pregnant. It's too soon to know that anyways. I just want to know if anyone has had luck actively TTC without charting or if they found it was more/less stressful.

Twinkie0612 · February 2013

jefa621:
WTF. I swear I replied to this thread.

ETA: My previous response in a nutshell: I personally found it less stressful to know what my body was doing. It's not that hard to spend 1 minute in the AM with a therm in your mouth. But if you don't want to thats fine. If you're having sex EOD you should be covered. But don't come here asking for questions about your syptoms or if you could be pregnant. We need data to be able to help with questions like that.

You did and I saw your response. Was the thread DD and reposted or is the bump just going crazy?

OP- Temping is not absolutely necessary, many women get pregnant without it. I personally was less stressed once I started temping, because I knew when I ovulated and when I could take a HPT. I didn't like feeling in the dark.

One thing to know is that if you do hit the year mark, some doctors will ask you to temp a few cycles to make sure your timing is good. I got to skip this step because I already knew we had good timing because I had been temping for a year.

sunlavender · February 2013

Necessary? No. Helpful? Yes.

kamirault7 · February 2013

mrspieWed180300:
Newbie alert!!
My husband and I recently started TTC. We considered TTC before, and we went off BC for about a month. The charting got a little too intense and stressful, so we went back on BC. A few months later, and here we are, TTC again! We decided that this time, we would give it another shot without obsessing over ovulation. Has anyone else had luck with TTC without obsessing over ovulation dates? I know the general time frame that I am ovulating, and I think I'm pretty in tune with my body to know when a good time is. Also, I have a high-stress job, as does my husband, so we want to TTC without the added stress of charting and temping.

Necessary? No, unless you don't feel like having sex often enough to cover all your bases. Personally, I prefer doing it when it counts. Plus, my DH travels a lot, so if I didn't temp, I might send him packing and totally miss the FW and not know it.

*Mrs*Rohrbaugh* · February 2013

sunlavender:
Necessary? No. Helpful? Yes.

This. It doesn't take much to temp and chart. You just plug in your info and you're done. It takes the guesswork out of wondering when or if you O'd.

elisa21 · February 2013

I know how you feel. I have never charted my temp but have used ovulation kits and that really stressed me out. Especially when this month they were only neg. going to try this next month by just DIEOD and if it doesn't work I am going to try the temp charting. Good luck

babydoc84 · February 2013

I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No.

All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.

LilSip0611 · February 2013

Beth&Derek:
Well, here's what I said before:
1. Of course people have gotten pregnant without charting.
2. You may think you know when you ovulate; so did I, but since ttc, my O date has varied from CD13-19. If I wasn't charting, I'd probably miss my FW most cycles unless I was having sex EOD throughout my whole cycle.
3. Temping makes it less stressful for me because I can at least confirm that I am ovulating and know how good our timing was.

Yes

mrspieWed180300 · February 2013

THANK YOU!! That's quite helpful.

LilSip0611 · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No.
All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.

So what would you advise your patients that were using OPKs and temping and had a positive OPK but didn't show a temp shift within 24-36 hours? That they actually did ovulate? Because I'm pretty sure based from what my doctor told me and from what I've learned here that your BBT temperature is the ONLY way to be sure you ovulated.

curlylocks3 · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No.
All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.

I love when people start giving out medical advice!!!!1

curlylocks3 · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp

If you don't temp, then how did you determine that you have a luteal phase defect and needed to take B6?

mmb248 · February 2013

MeatandBandP:
babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 2436 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc. really needed? No.nbsp; nbsp;All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.nbsp;

Wow I'm glad your not my doctor.

The bolded. I know that annovulatory cycles are not the norm, but if my doctor had given me that information, we would have gone a year without knowing that I don't ovulate regularly. Before BCP (and even the first 6 months post BCP) I had regular cycles and positive OPKs, but I still wasn't ovulating. Yes, my dr did do all of the testing, but her biggest clue that I wasn't ovulating? My charts with my temps!

So, is it necessary to temp? No, of course not. DH and I both have stressful jobs. If I didn't temp, we would have no way of knowing if I O'd or what our timing was. I temp to reduce stress!

ChristyML · February 2013

I did not temp or chart anything when I was trying to get pregnant last time. I did try OPKs, but more for just trying them out (and I never did get a positive one, but I only used them for about a week or two). I got pregnant after 5 months of actively trying, although, my cycles were never irregular, so I sort of had an idea of when I might ovulate (obviously not for sure, but I must have been somewhat close, since I did get pregnant).

This time though, if I don't get pregnant within a year (or if my cycle doesn't regulate by then) I may start charting CM. I have already started charting when I get my period and all the symptoms of it.

mamabird8 · February 2013

It's not necessary to get KU, but it confirms if / when you O.

sueann911 · February 2013

CLECyclist:
Beth&Derek:
babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No. 
 All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion. 
What would you say to the people who get several positive OPKs at different points throughout their cycles? "Don't worry, you can assume ovulating?"
This person can't be a doctor. Resident or intern, maybe. But I side-eyed the shiiiit out of that person's post. 

If I remember her intro post correctly, she is an OBGYN. Feel free to correct me baby doc. I second the PP and echo that I am glad you're not my doctor.

LindsayNicole01 · February 2013

You might want to check out the newbie link at the top of the page. It's full of lots of helpful information!

babydoc84 · February 2013

I am more than happy to answer all the questions that were brought up. Yes, I am a board certified general OB-GYN but I am not a reproductive endocrinologist. The reasons I dont temp are because I think it would add more stress and there are nights when I am awake all night on-call so it wouldn't be feasible with my schedule either.

And to Cyclist - residents and interns are doctors too. They have M.D. behind their name just like I do.

Shecodes - you can still diagnose a luteal phase defect without temping. Based on when you get a +OPK and when your menses start, you can calculate your luteal phase. That is how I diagnosed my own LP defect. Is it perfect? No, but nothing in medicine is. I would consistently get a +OPK 10 days prior to my menstrual start. Although a true LP defect is categorized as having a LP of 9 days or less, I wanted to increase mine for better odds conceiving and that's exactly what daily B6 has done.

LilSip- BBT is not the ONLY way to diagnose ovulation. An endometrial biopsy can also confirm because the tissue would appear to be in the secretory phase of the cycle. A progesterone level 7 days post ovulation >10 is also consistent with ovulation.

Beth&Derek - Getting +OPKs multiple times during a month is very rare. Yes, a normal LH surge lasts 48-72 days which is why an OPK usually stays positive for 2-3 days but to then get a +OPK 1-2 weeks later would be very uncommon. This probably happens in <1% of the population.

MeatandBand - I am also glad Smile Why do you even need a doctor? Seems like you know everything. Lucky you, you didnt even have to spend 4 years in med school and then another 4 years in OB/GYN residency.

sunlavender · February 2013

babydoc84:

Well, aren't you a peach.

Unknown · February 2013

This content has been removed.

CooneyGirl · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No.
All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.

I guess what shakes me about this is that patient education and taking control of their reproductive health seems like some of the best advice you could give them.

Knowledge is power and I would be vastly concerned if my doctor persuaded me to an approach that lacked this passion for understanding and quest for knowledge.

How do you really know how rare it is to get multiple positive OPKs? Do you tell your women to test from CD 6 through to AF?

Seems like the bird approach to me....

But you know whatever is easiest for you.

Crammerama · February 2013

I agree with pp's that it's not the only way to get Ku.

But I just wanted to share my experience FWIW.

I was on the bump a few months before I was ready to start TTC. I heard about temping and opks. When I talked to my SIL about possibly temping, she thought I was crazy and that it was a lot of work for no reason.

I temped one month before actually trying and found it easy - even though I often suffer from insomnia. I even used a regular thermometer because I couldn't find a BBT one in my area.

I find temping not to be stressful, but super comforting and I enjoy seeing what my body is doing all cycle long and how different this cycle is from the last.

It's not for everyone, no, but I agree with pp's it's definitely beneficial. Especially since you can have odd cycles every now and then.

Do what's right for you, OP.

Eta grammar

FoxiePM · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 2436 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc. really needed? No.nbsp; nbsp;All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.nbsp;

What is the percentage of women that you have helped conceive?

lifesaverz · February 2013

babydoc84:
I personally don't temp nor do I counsel my patients to temp either. OPKs are more than sufficient. Yes, they detect the LH surge that occurs 24-36 hours prior to ovulation and not actually ovulation itself BUT, if you get a positive OPK, you can assume that you're ovulating. Actually, if you get regular menses each month, you can really assume that you're ovulating. Is confirmation of ovulation (by progesterone level, temping, endometrial biopsy, etc.) really needed? No.
All that being said, I am sure that many women on this board would disagree with me, but that is just my medical opinion.

Not true. I've gotten multiple positive OPKs, after none of which did I actually ovulate. If you have cycle irregularities at all, temping can help determine if you are ACTUALLY ovulating, & when. Many of the ladies here will attest to the fact that sometimes your body will "gear up" for ovulation (thus producing a positive OPK) w/out actually ovulating, like in my case.

OP, I will say that for me, I had MUCH more anxiety BEFORE I started charting temps, because I had no idea what the heck was going on with my body (having long cycles, wondering if I should test, if I was pregnant, etc). ESP if you are coming off of any type of BC, then you should anticipate that your cycle may or may not go right back to normal, & temping could ease any anxiety of what might be going on if your cycle becomes irregular. Once I started temping I'm now WAY calmer about this whole process, because as you can see from my ticker, even though I'm on CD 79 FFS, I'm not freaking out because I actually know I haven't Ovulated this cycle. Can you imagine waiting 79 days if you didn't know for sure that you hadn't ovulated? It's worth the peace of mind, in my opinion.

Twinkie0612 · February 2013

babydoc84:

LilSip- BBT is not the ONLY way to diagnose ovulation. An endometrial biopsy can also confirm because the tissue would appear to be in the secretory phase of the cycle. A progesterone level 7 days post ovulation >10 is also consistent with ovulation.

Sure these confirm ovulation, but someone who wants to confirm O can't run out and get a biopsy or blood test. What they can do is chart their BBT.

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