TCOYF Question

Maggie1202 · November 2015

Ladies, I could use your help...

I'm reading TCOYF and definitely loving it but I just read something that contradicts what I've been seeing on these boards. In the book, the author says (when discussing digital thermometers for temping) "It's imperative that it be accurate to within 1/10th degree Fahrenheit (for example 97.4), but do not use thermometers that measure to within 1/100th of a degree (for example, 97.47), since the extra information is unnecessary and confusing." (Page 92 of the new edition).

Everything I have seen from these forums and FF is saying the opposite. But a lot of people also seem to read TCOYF as the conception bible. Can anyone help me make sense of what I am seeing as a confusing (albeit maybe unimportant) contradiction?

TIA!

skilouise · November 2015

Keep in mind that TCOYF is written with the thought that people are using paper charts. In that case, charting to the hundredths probably is unnecessarily confusing. But apps like FF can make a much more sophisticated analysis than someone using a paper chart. The more info the app has, the better.

Also, with a BBT, it's a lot easier to see if your thermometer is favoring temps. If you get 97.23 four days in a row, your BBT is likely favoring temps. Four in a row of 97.2, who knows?

Maggie1202 · November 2015

@AshVA Great! Thank you so much, that makes a lot of sense. And looking at the charts on FF vs the book, it seems pretty obvious haha!

mrgnhk · November 2015

I chart both on paper and FF just because. I personally have read TCOYF which I love, but I like having FF for on the go. I don't have a BBT I just use a regular thermometer and it works just fine for me (I do leave it in longer than when it beeps and I get a far better accurate reading) Especially if your checking CF and CP. From what I've read in researching this topic, you really only need the tenths of a degree not one hundredths because you're looking for a temp jump of way more than one hundredths of a degree.
Whatever you feel most comfortable with is going to be the best for you! I can only share my thoughts and opinions

Good luck to you!!

Eta to add that keep in mind, TCOYF has been around way longer than FF and women have been just as successful with the TCOYF method.

skilouise · November 2015

I think it depends on the person, @mrgnhk. If you have a relatively normal cycle and a big temp shift, then a regular thermometer is probably fine. If you have irregular cycles and small shifts, the more sophisticated BBTs could be valuable. 97.2 to 97.3 might not look like a shift. But 97.15 to 97.34 might be. That's nearly an extra full tenth that would be lost to rounding on a regular thermometer.

It's been a long day, so I'm not sure if that is the best example. But it seems possible that for some women, a BBT might be able to distinguish between (1) not ovulating at all, and (2) ovulating, but having very low progesterone during the LP. Those are two very different problems with different solutions, and I'm not sure that a regular thermometer would always be precise enough to distinguish those two scenarios.

tinypikachu · November 2015

Depends on the person. I use a regular thermometer and it's worked quite well for me. I personally don't see a need for a thermometer that goes out to the hundredths because I'm good with the one I have, but others might be different (or there wouldn't exist BBT thermometers that go out to the hundredths, I would think).

Keep in mind you're looking at the forest, not the trees. Seeing one temp go up 0.07 or 0.5 degrees might not mean nothing. You're looking for consistently lower temps before O and consistenly higher temps afterwards. It doesn't matter how high or how low, everyone is different.

hunnybunny17 · November 2015

I feel like I read somewhere that the thermometers that only read to the tenths have a greater range of standard error than the ones that temp to the hundredths.

sarah0985 · November 2015

I don't have access to a thermometer that has .01 accuracy without broadcasting to everyone I'm ttc (asking on fb where I can find one where I live. I've tried a few pharmacys and they don't carry them) or without asking q few people to help me out by mailing one and then a friend if I can borrow their po box. (On top of just then the shipping being ridiculously expensive for a thermometer)
All of that to say that I use a thermometer to .1 accuracy and haven't even noticed favoring. I haven't had more than 2 days in a row of the same temp. I think a .1 thermometer is fine for the job as long as it's a quality thermometer. As the pp said, watch for favoring. Anything more than 3 days in a row of exact same temps, or repeated temps consistently (I.E.: only 97.5, 97.8, or 98 with no others in the middle) is when I would say the thermometer isn't good for this type of use.

paigeed · November 2015

sarah0985 said:
I don't have access to a thermometer that has .01 accuracy without broadcasting to everyone I'm ttc (asking on fb where I can find one where I live. I've tried a few pharmacys and they don't carry them) or without asking q few people to help me out by mailing one and then a friend if I can borrow their po box. (On top of just then the shipping being ridiculously expensive for a thermometer)
All of that to say that I use a thermometer to .1 accuracy and haven't even noticed favoring. I haven't had more than 2 days in a row of the same temp. I think a .1 thermometer is fine for the job as long as it's a quality thermometer. As the pp said, watch for favoring. Anything more than 3 days in a row of exact same temps, or repeated temps consistently (I.E.: only 97.5, 97.8, or 98 with no others in the middle) is when I would say the thermometer isn't good for this type of use.

Walmart carries basal thermometers. I too had to be discreet when purchasing one and it wasn't a big deal. Just look where they put them on the shelves. Pink thermometer. Works great.

skilouise · November 2015

sarah0985 said:
I don't have access to a thermometer that has .01 accuracy without broadcasting to everyone I'm ttc (asking on fb where I can find one where I live. I've tried a few pharmacys and they don't carry them) or without asking q few people to help me out by mailing one and then a friend if I can borrow their po box. (On top of just then the shipping being ridiculously expensive for a thermometer)
All of that to say that I use a thermometer to .1 accuracy and haven't even noticed favoring. I haven't had more than 2 days in a row of the same temp. I think a .1 thermometer is fine for the job as long as it's a quality thermometer. As the pp said, watch for favoring. Anything more than 3 days in a row of exact same temps, or repeated temps consistently (I.E.: only 97.5, 97.8, or 98 with no others in the middle) is when I would say the thermometer isn't good for this type of use.

Where do you live? Do they not have Amazon there?

sarah0985 · November 2015

I live over-seas in the U.A.E.
When I was home this summer, I wasn't considering temping so I didn't bother buying one. I decided to start temping in September. They don't have a traditional mail system (ie. no mail boxes or address system) so I'd have to get a PO box for the year for them to ship it to which runs about $75 a year. There's services that ship without a membership but start at a membership cost of $45 plus runs about $20 for the first pound of weight.
I've lived here 5 years and have had 2 packages shipped to me. For all the reasons stated above. HAHA. A thermometer just isn't worth that much to me. I'd definitely buy one if I had access to one at the rates in the states!

skilouise · November 2015

@sarah0985

Yikes, that does sound like a pain. I don't understand how they can function without a traditional mail system. How strange!

sarah0985 · November 2015

@ashVA It was incredibly strange at first and sometimes still is a P.I.A. They're actually in the process of a 10-year plan to create an address system which will lead to a more western post system. They currently just use couriers usually within the country but a pain for anything out of the country.

MrsDho11 · November 2015

@sarah0985 - wow. That is definitely the new thing I learned about today.

babymish · November 2015

sarah0985 said:

I live over-seas in the U.A.E.
When I was home this summer, I wasn't considering temping so I didn't bother buying one. I decided to start temping in September. They don't have a traditional mail system (ie. no mail boxes or address system) so I'd have to get a PO box for the year for them to ship it to which runs about $75 a year. There's services that ship without a membership but start at a membership cost of $45 plus runs about $20 for the first pound of weight.
I've lived here 5 years and have had 2 packages shipped to me. For all the reasons stated above. HAHA. A thermometer just isn't worth that much to me. I'd definitely buy one if I had access to one at the rates in the states!

What a massive pain! I wonder if you could gather together a group of ex-pats and all put together for one PO box you could all use?!

sarah0985 · November 2015

I do know people who do that and if it comes to a time where my regular thermometer isn't cutting it, I may ask them. My mom is coming in February and my aunt is coming in March, so more likely than not, if we aren't pregnant by then, I'd probably ask my bff to get me a Mabis and wrap it with some other goodies and have them bring it over and just not open in front of them.
She knows we are off bcp (only 2 friends know we are TRYING and they live here) but I know she wouldn't think I'm bsc. (Any more than she already knows. Haha)

juliehollz13 · November 2015

Same here. I used a BBT thermometer but it would always drain the battery before the month is over, so I would always have to finish off with a regular thermometer - which isnt ideal. I also always double check both thermometers - for example, when the BBT thermometer is working right it will give me a temp of 97.58 and the regular one will give me a 97.6. When the BBT thermometer is starting to go dead it will give me a random temp thats way off from the regular thermometer and it will take forever to get to it. That's just my 2 cents.

britters314 · November 2015

@juliehollz13 How did you drain the battery so fast? I have been using my BBT for 6 months and haven't had to get a new battery yet.

juliehollz13 · November 2015

I got the one from my local pharmacy (RiteAid). I may try a different brand next time but i'm a little fed up with them at this point. lol

Want a personalized experience?

TCOYF Question

Re: TCOYF Question

Choose Another Board

Search Boards