Community post

A few tips for taking your BBT:

Take your temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed or even speak -- leave your thermometer at your bedside within easy reach so you don't have to move much to get it. If you use a glass thermometer, make sure you shake it down before going to bed.

Try to take the temperature at as close to the same time each day as possible -- set an alarm if you need to. Staying within a half hour either side of your average time is a good idea because your temperature can vary with the time. The normal variation is by up to .2 degrees per hour -- lower if you take your temperature early, higher if you take it late.

It is best to take your BBT after a minimum of 5 hours sleep, and at least 3 in a row is preferable.

Since your hubby likes to BD in the morning, you'll have to ensure you wake before him every day at the same time and take your BBT then.
As the previous poster said, you aren't supposed to get out of bed, drink water or do anything else before taking your temp otherwise the results are will be altered.
Since you are starting to notice stretchy CM now, try to BD every day or 2 for the next week or so.

My BBT is fairly erratic at times too, for multiple reasons. For several days post-O I have lots of trouble sleeping through the night. I wake up constantly and stay awake for an hour or so every time. That kinda makes me question the reliability of the temp for those days.

I have also found that the temperature in the house affects your BBT. As for activity changing your BBT, I too have noticed that it lowers. I temped immediately upon waking, then again about an hour after I got up just for fun, and it was lower.

Sometimes BBT charting can just be more of a confusion than a help, especially when you don't have to wake up at the same time every day or when your circumstances aren't always ideal for perfect charting.