Temping impossible when traveling. A wrist watch/basal thermometer with memory function?

[Anonymous]

Dear all,
thanks for the great forum. First time posting.

My doctor (Dr Sanders at women's obgyn in DC) has asked me to keep a chart of my temperature.

The problem is when I travel for work, it's impossible to keep up a schedule of measuring my temperature before getting out of bed. The thermometer was lastly buried on the teeny-tiny night stand (or whatever passes for one) while i jet-laggedly made it for the bathroom in what some people consider Europe's newest country.

The thermometer and the chart on a piece of paper are just not working for me.

Any other advice for temping -- have tried the ovulation test strips and they don't get to show ovulation at all. The clearblue is not temp based, is it? The ov-watch is also not basal temperature based! Amazon.com did not reveal any ideas.

Please advise!
Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

You could start by tracking the other fertility signs: cervical position, mucus, sex drive, saliva test, etc. You can check with ovulation predictors, but I would wait until the other info gives you an idea of when you ovulate. Find one or two points that are easy for you to interpret and leave the rest behind. Also, temping does not work as well when your sleep pattern is not consistent.

www.fertilityfriend.com offers a lot of info, as does Taking Charge of you Fertility. I started with a book called The Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy and Birth and it introduced the finer points of charting.

[Anonymous]

i found the ovulation predictor kits -- clearblue -- the one with the smiley face, not just the double lines -- worked well. the first month you should use them well in advance of when you think you'll ovulate so you're sure not to miss the signal but after one month you should have a sense for when you ovulate. I have heard people on this forum say those didn't work for them but i know a lot of people for whom they did. good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thank you both for your reply. I can definitely keep track of other signs, that will be easier than having to remember to temp in the split second before i get out of bed. I'll order the book as well.

[Anonymous]

I have had the same problems - just started charting temperatures. I am trying to just get myself into the same routine every morning. I set my cell phone alarm for the same time every morning and I put my thermometer on top of it. I then type myself a text message with the temperature and the time taken. Then, I just go back to sleep and don't worry about remembering. If you are worried about losing thermometers, I also recommend putting both in your purse and putting next to your bed. You will not forget your purse.

I also recommend keeping track in FertilityFriend - very easy to use.