Temping--is it worth it?

Davie813 · February 2014

***Warning: bone-ignorant newbie questions below**

So I've just started temping, and am wondering if it's worth the hassle. I know it can be a very valuable tool, but I'm not sure in my case, since I'm up pretty much every two hours, every single night. (Always have been--just not highly skilled at sleeping

) Under these circumstances, do you think I'll get results accurate enough to justify the bother?

Also, I've already started (even though AF is still hanging around) just to get into the swing of it, and I'm getting temps around ~96.9. Does that sound normal, or a little...reptilian?

TIA for your help/patience/advice...

[Deleted User] · February 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

latershrader · February 2014

I just started temping this cycle. I really thought I wasn't O'ing. But Fertility Friend said I did...which made me feel better. I'm a mouth breather when I sleep so I'll be vaginally temping next cycle.

For what it's worth, I really think it's worth it. Good luck!

heathereb23 · February 2014

Yes. It's the only way you will know if/when you O'd. I use OPKs and the CBEFM as well, and if I only went by those I would have assumed I O'd on Sunday. Unfortunately my temps suggest that I actually O'd on Monday, which means we missed an opportunity because we should have had sex at least one more time. We hit Thursday and Saturday night, and I didn't force the issue Sunday because we were exhausted after the Super Bowl. As it turns out, we probably still had time to BD on Monday and now that I finally got my crosshairs on FF, I'm kicking myself for quitting too soon. What I thought would be -3 and -1 is actually -4 and -2. I could have also hit O day.

Anyway, the moral of my rant is that you will only pinpoint O if you temp. And also, don't quit until you see a sustained temp spike.

Davie813 · February 2014

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far!

(@heatherb23, so frustrating! I hope it works out better next month. And that you were rooting for the Seahawks Sunday--to avoid an extra layer of disappointment.)

Just to clarify: I guess I'm not so much wondering whether temping is worthwhile in general (as far as that goes, I'm sold!), but whether it works when you don't get uninterrupted sleep.

I hadn't considered temping vaginally to get around that, so will probably give it a try...

heathereb23 · February 2014

I wake up several times through the night, and usually an hour or so before my alarm goes off (always try to go back to sleep, not always successful). I think as long as you stay in bed and don't move around too much or talk, the temps should be ok. I temp at 7am every day, before I get out of bed. I rarely have been asleep for 3 consecutive hours before then, and I can still see a clear shift on my chart after O.

gscoville · February 2014

Davie813 said:

***Warning: bone-ignorant newbie questions below** So I've just started temping, and am wondering if it's worth the hassle. I know it can be a very valuable tool, but I'm not sure in my case, since I'm up pretty much every two hours, every single night. (Always have been--just not highly skilled at sleeping ) Under these circumstances, do you think I'll get results accurate enough to justify the bother? Also, I've already started (even though AF is still hanging around) just to get into the swing of it, and I'm getting temps around ~96.9. Does that sound normal, or a little...reptilian? TIA for your help/patience/advice...

YES. Temping is the only thing I can rely on - OPKs don't always work for me, body signs can be confusing, but my temps never lie. I'm a terrible insomniac too, but I've made it work for over a year now. I tend to get my best, longest sleep when I first go to bed, so I always temp the first time I wake up (anywhere from 1 to 4 am usually). I don't worry about being at the same time each day, just as long as I've had two or three hours of sleep beforehand. I just put NA in the time slots so I don't get all open circles. My temps can be pretty rocky, but I'm always able to see a clear temp shift at O - check out my charts if you want to see. And 96.9 isn't out of place for a pre-O temp. I'm usually around the very low 97s, sometimes into the 96s even. Some women report being in the 95s, no biggie, everyone is different. Just remember, it's the overall pattern you are looking for, not trying to read into individual temps. It can take a few cycles to get the hang of it, but it truly is worth sticking it out.

fabumama · February 2014

Holy moly. I just got my BBT yesterday. This is all overwhelming. It sounds like a foreign language. Ha! Guess I will log it in FF and hope it ends up making sense.

Radiantly · February 2014

Jumping in here, I've read about the temp shift happening 12-24 hours after you O. Anyone care to comment? I am trying to pinpoint my o twinges this month and wonder if it will make sense. O any day now... Or rather, temp shift any day...

MarylandWed · February 2014

I ovulated like clockwork complete with ovulation cramps. I found it helpful/interesting to do it once. In other words I think it's something everyone should try for a cycle and continue as needed but I didn't feel I needed to continue it. It I wasn't reliably ovulating it would have been a different story. It confirmed what I already knew. I went back to OPKs.

Pintobean39 · February 2014

I think it's very worth it. I wake up a lot at night not by choice. I just temp when I get the longest stretch of sleep .... It's between 1am - 6am. My charts are ugly but I get a clear temp shift every single month.

@radiantly yes your temp shifts after you ovulate. I've never been able to pinpoint my O pains because I have them for days before and after O.

Radiantly · February 2014

Thanks @pintobean39, I wondered... The O pain sometimes is a tight pinch that occurs over a course of a few hours. Always wonder if that's when egg is released?

Last night I was ready and forced DH to wake up to me needing it NOW! Haha. This month we are not letting a day slip by. Been 6 days in a row now. Major record. Fingers crossed. I have been extremely stressed at work and hope it's not affecting it.

gscoville · February 2014

fabumama said:

Holy moly. I just got my BBT yesterday. This is all overwhelming. It sounds like a foreign language. Ha! Guess I will log it in FF and hope it ends up making sense.

Do the tutorials on FF, they have a whole charting course that explains everything very well.

Radiantly said:

Jumping in here, I've read about the temp shift happening 12-24 hours after you O. Anyone care to comment? I am trying to pinpoint my o twinges this month and wonder if it will make sense. O any day now... Or rather, temp shift any day...

This is why on an FF chart, your ovulation date is pinpointed at the day before the big temp jump - you ovulate sometime during the day (most women have their LH surge in the morning sometime, resulting in ovulation later that day), and the increase in temp isn't 'recordable' until the next time you temp, which is morning of the next day.

Davie813 · February 2014

Thanks to everyone for your help! This month's chart is already failing to make sense (massive temp jump today, CD 9--due to user error, I'm sure) but I'll stick with it and see if I can get into a routine that works.

Pintobean39 · February 2014

Radiantly said:
Thanks @pintobean39, I wondered... The O pain sometimes is a tight pinch that occurs over a course of a few hours. Always wonder if that's when egg is released?

Last night I was ready and forced DH to wake up to me needing it NOW! Haha. This month we are not letting a day slip by. Been 6 days in a row now. Major record. Fingers crossed. I have been extremely stressed at work and hope it's not affecting it.

This last month I was monitored and I was feeling those sharp pains and was worried I already ovulated. The US revealed it was still there. I did a trigger shot a few days later to force me to ovulate 36 hours later. I felt those pains for a few days after I knew I ovulated. I learned this month I have a pretty good clue about when I'm going to ovulate BUT I'm off by a few days going by the pains that I away's thought were the egg being released.

ShortStuff · February 2014

I am going to jump in here. I ttc'd for over 3 years starting 9 years ago. No success. I have been trying again now for 8 months. Still no luck, but I am doing some thing differently and feeling positive. I temped for almost 3 years the first time. I am not doing it this time. I am so in tune with my body and I know if I O or not based on CM, O pain, feelings in my body and OPKs. I will not temp this time. However, that being said, it was temping for so long that got me so in tune with my body. So since you are new to ttc, then yes, temping will teach you a lot about yourself.

Want a personalized experience?

Temping--is it worth it?

Re: Temping--is it worth it?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards