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How do you start tracking Temps?

I use my phone app to track AF, but have never done my temps. When do you start? How do you do it? AF just came today so would I start today?

1 Reply • 10 years ago


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I got this from the help & support page hope it helps.....
Take your temperature just as you wake up in the morning, before doing anything else. You can not get up, sit up, walk around, go to the bathroom, eat anything, drink anything, or engage in any kind of activity (even shaking down a mercury thermometer can skew your temperature). Keep your thermometer at your beside along with a notepad to record the temperature and the time it was taken. If you use a mercury thermometer, shake it down the night before.
Take your temperature at the same time every day. (Yes, even weekends and holidays) Set an alarm - you can always go back to sleep! This is very important as your resting temperature increases by approximately 0.1° every half an hour and so could skew your chart.
Take your temperature after at least three to four consecutive hours of sleep. (To get a more reliable result at least 5 hours is preferable)
Take your temperature using a special BBT thermometer. You can take your temperature orally, vaginally or rectally. Just be consistent throughout the cycle.
You should use the same thermometer throughout the cycle. (If you buy a new one, start using it on cycle day one of the next cycle.) If your themometer breaks and you must use a new one, make sure to add a note of this on your chart.
Don't get upset if you oversleep or forget to write a temperature down (or miss a day all together) In most cases one or two missed temperatures won't make ovulation undetectable. (Especially if you are checking multiple fertility signs like cervical fluid, cervix position or using ovulation predictor kits or a fertility monitor). Just do the best you can.
It is also advisable to mark in the notes section on your chart days when your temperature may be unreliable due to illness or alcohol consumption etc.
Ideally, you should start charting on the first day of your period, and continue to take your basal body temperature every morning throughout your entire cycle. Every day, record your waking temperature, along with the time that you took it.

After you have experience with charting, you may discover that you can skip the first few days of your period and start taking your temperature a few days into your cycle. Until you know when you tend to ovulate, though, it's best to take your temperature all the way through your cycle.

What equipment do I need?
You will need a special Basal Body Temperature (BBT) thermometer; digital and mercury varieties are available. Regular fever thermometers are not suitable as they are only likely to display temperature to 0.2° rather than the necessary 0.1° accuracy. These special themometers are quite inexpensive and can be purchased from most drug stores and pharmacies.

Detecting Ovulation
After several temperatures are charted, you can begin to analyze your chart to look for ovulation.

Three Over Six Rule of Interpretation

Each day check your temperature chart looking for an upward and sustained shift in temperature.

If your temperature rises noticeably and remains elevated, you can confirm ovulation using the three over six rule. This means that the 3 temperatures after ovulation be higher than the previous six temperatures. (Ovulation is considered to be the day right before the first elevated temperature) See figure at the right.

After a temperature shift, you can draw a coverline for reference. This line is drawn 0.1°F higher than the highest of the previous 6 temperatures being considered. You want to see the prior six temperatures below this line and the next three above it to confirm ovulation.

Once this criteria is met, ovulation can be confirmed.

10 years ago


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Pregnancy test statistics

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