Charting temps question

[Anonymous]

These are my temperatures (today is Day 16)

Day 6 97.61 6:25 AM
Day 7 97.57 6:20 AM
Day 8 97.22 7:10 AM
Day 9 97.34 6:30 AM
Day 10 97.25 6:30 AM
Day 11 97.34 6:30 AM
Day 12 97.36 6:30 AM OPK -
Day 13 97.36 6:20 AM OPK -
Day 14 went to bed at 3am and didn't take it when i woke up OPK -
Day 15 97.81 6:30 AM OPK-
Day 16 97.75 6:30 AM

Is it possible that since I went to bed late and had a couple of drinks Friday night that my temps went up because of that? Or is that what a rise after ovulation looks like?
I am confused as to why I am getting - OPKs, I got a + on day 15 last cycle.... My cycle is 28 days so I should have ovulated by now.

Thoughts? First time charting and kind of clueless. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm no expert at charting...but the few months I have charted my temperature increase was much greater, always into the 98.xx range after ovulation. So I would guess that you haven't ovulated. You may want to plug your temps into fertilityfriend.com and see what it says.

[Anonymous]

I agree with plugging them into FF.

Once you chart for a while, you will get a better sense of your typical temp patterns and your average ovulation date. Like the PP, my temps always move up to the 98s after ovulation. I have never had a pre-ovulation temp that's 98 or higher (and I have been charting for many years). So once I see 98 or higher, I know I ovulated.

BUT, I have seen lots of charts with smaller shifts, and that is totally normal for some people. It doesn't matter how big the temp jump is, just that you can see a clear shift from pre-O to post-O temps. And I do see a thermal shift in your temps over the past 2 days, which would indicate to me that you ovulated. However, the temp shift doesn't correlate with your OPKs and it sounds like that is causing you confusion. Are you sure everything is consistent with the OPKs (taken at the right time of day, urine not too dilute, taking test at the same time every day, etc.)? Because there is definitely room for user error or inconsistency both with OPKs and with temping.

Finally, yes, drinking alcohol could bump up your temps, but only the morning after, not for 2-3 days.

At this point, if I were you, I'd keep temping and see what they do the rest of this cycle, and definitely get on Fertility Friend or Ovusoft or someplace that will store them so you can compare them for future reference. Once you have a few charts under your belt, you will have a much better sense of how to interpret your temps. I would also recommend checking cervical mucus and charting that along with your temps. Looking at CM and temps together can be helpful in situations where the temps alone are confusing.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. Also after you get a OPK +ve you don't ovulate for 1-2 days. keep charting and hopefully you will see a greater increase.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I am hoping I did ovulate a couple days ago, I would think it was Saturday which makes total sense datewise.

My problem tracking CM is that since we are having sex every other day, it gets tricky! I guess if I had done it for a couple months before ttc I could tell the difference, but I can't right now....

I am not being as consistent with the OPKs as I am with temperatures. Last cycle I got a + early on day 15... hopefully I won't have to do this for many more months, but I will follow the advice provided.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP, without seeing your chart w/ other signs, it's hard to say for sure, but I'd say based on your temps, if your temp is still above 97.8 tomorrow, that you O'd on day 14. It look like you had a thermal shift of .4 degrees starting day 14 or 15, which is enough to reflect ovulation. The rule is any sustained (3+ days) temp shift of at least .2 higher than your coverline (.1 degree over the highest temp in the prior 5 days) constitutes a thermal shift. While I think most womens' thermal shifts are more noticeable, many are not -- mine, for one, are not extreme. They are usually .2 to .4 degrees higher than coverline for the first 3-5 days post-O, then they typically rise higher in the 2nd half of my 2ww. Most of my charts look very similar to what you describe, and my temps don't usually rise above 98 until 5 days post O. This is true for almost all my charts, including the one that resulted in my now 1 year old daughter last year! Check out fertilityfriend.com, it should def. help. That and Toni Wechsler's book. Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Op again.

Day 17 is today and temp was 97.79.

So I guess I did ovulate then? I am hoping so!

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP, I think so! But keep going through the end of the cycle. I love charting. I think it gives you a lot of information about your body and allows you to see changes in your cycle that occur over time that you otherwise might not notice.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP!
I really hope I did, even though OPK didn't confirm this cycle. I will def continue, but hopefully not for many more months!

Thanks for all the advice!