How do you chart BBT when your wakeup time varies??

[Anonymous]

My alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m., and on a good morning, my 1 year old hasn't stirred and so I take my temp and that's that.

However, quite often, he will make noises between 5 and 6:30 a.m. and wake me up. I don't have to get out of bed, but I do wake and I feel like I spend the rest of my time in bed in sort of a half-sleep.

Should I take my temperature right when I wake up, even if it's at 5 am, or wait until 6:30 if I'm still half-asleep?

THANK YOU!

[Anonymous]

I believe as long as you don't get out of bed, you can take temperature later when you are about to get up.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. It's hard for me too. I just do the best I can and take my temperature right when I wake up without getting up. Yes, there will be some off days, but I still notice the patterns of each month.

[Anonymous]

Me too. My wake-up times vary by an hour or two, but I can still see a clear pattern of pre/post ovulatory temps.

[Anonymous]

So if I wake up at 6 a.m. but am half-asleep until 6:30, I can wait until 6:30?

The reason why I ask is that I have noticed a big difference in my temp -- if I take it right when I wake up, it's close to 97.0. If I am at all half-asleep for a while before taking it, it's closer to 97.7 or so.

[Anonymous]

My wake up time varies a ton ( I work shifts). I've found that as long as I take it as soon as I wake up (don't lay around in bed to get to a certain time) it seems to give me a clear pre and post ovulatory pattern.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a consistent waking time either and my temps have been all over the place with no pattern. I've also tested temping first thing vs. a few minutes later after I've been awake and checked my email on my phone and the temp always goes up a bit after that minimal amount of movement. What I've resorted to is setting an alarm to wake up and temp and then go back to sleep. My thermometer is a cheap CVS brand but it has a memory for the last temp, so I don't even have to open my eyes really. I've done this for a little over a month now and I finally have some consistency to my temps. Worth a shot if you think you can go back sleep.

[Anonymous]

try temping vaginally -- might give a clearer pattern

[Anonymous]

I work night shifts and I feel like the temp charting isn't working, there isn't a clear pattern over the last 6 months. Are ovulation kits better?

[Anonymous]

I think you should take your temp the minute you wake up. And then after the fact when you're looking at your chart, you can account some for the variances in time the temps were taken. But I think laying around in bed awake does mess with the actual temp reading. Pretty sure this is discussed in Taking Charge of Your Fertility.