Community post

Hi there. Do you want to share your BBT chart so we can see the trend you are describing?

I used to use a mercury thermometer before I accidentally threw it across the room when shaking it down and it broke! I found it much more difficult to get precise temps as your eyes cannot see to the level of precision that the digital thermometers are capable of. When I replaced it with a digital one I found my charts looked soooo much better and therefore easier to analyse. I never noticed any issues with it taking longer to get a temp than in summer, but our winters are very mild. I always waited at least 4 minutes anyway just to be sure.

How many dpo are you now?

Thanks for the reply, shelob! I was 11 or 12 dpo at the time of writing, but unfortunately whether the temp drop was affected by my room temperature or not it was a sign of AF on her wicked way! The previous cycle I had not observed a temp drop until after AF, though, so I was suspicious something else might be going on.

At any rate, I definitely appreciate the suggestion about digital but for me it wasn't really working. For one, I typically temp while DH is sleeping and he really dislikes the beeping of the digital (why no one seems to sell a vibrating digital thermometer for temping that also has a backlight is beyond me -- maybe one day I will patent one). Secondly, at least the ones I have had (even the one I bought specifically to be a basal thermometer) seemed very temperamental. I never felt I was getting my "real" temperature when I used one.

Thus my switch to non-digital (it is actually a non-mercury substitute, but same idea). It worked for me beautifully last cycle, except for that uncertainty about the cold room. I do think the liquid can slow down in certain conditions, but I guess my solution will just be to take my temp for the same amount of time every morning and try to make better note of the room conditions if they are unusual.

P.S. I would share my chart, but I use FF and I have no idea how!

Sorry AF came :( I always get a drop in temp at least a day before and then goes up again once it starts. Interesting that yours comes after it starts.

Just for future reference in fertility friend you share your chart through the "sharing" tab. http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ttc/homepage_module.php?action=GetCode#codes for a quick link. Then you will need to answer a couple of questions to do with how much info you want shared and then you get a URL link with an identifying number which you can paste on here. I like fertility friend too :)

When I broke my mercury thermometer I couldn't find another on in the shops. Like you I was concerned about the beeping of digital ones and also the backlight. I am such an irregular sleeper than I needed to be able to take it and go back to sleep without looking at it (if I could) and mine works well for that. It does beep but after more than 2 years my husband can now sleep through it! It just has one button so easy to use in the dark and no backlight so it doesn't light up the room. I have heard others complaining about noise from theirs so I can appreciate the issue! that's great your non-digital one is working for you, don't fix what isn't broken I say!

I hope this cycle is more successful than your last!!!