how do you REALLY know you O'd?

[gizmo77]

i ve read about this in the past and had discussions with ppl. does the shift in temp, plus fertile CM guarantee that you have ovulated? does having your period guarantee that you have ovulated? i mean how do you REALLY know?
can you not ovulate but get your period? (anovulatory). can you have a shift in temps and stay high and not necly ovulate. scary thoughts here. in this case would OPKs be the best indicators?

[rainbowflower]

the shift in temp guarantees it has happened (blood tests can prove it too), CM doesn't at all

yes you can get anovulatory cycles but in those the temps will be erratic and you will not have a clear temp shift or sustained high temperatures

OPKs don't show that you ovulate either, just that the body tries to ovulate

[atomic sagebrush]

i ve read about this in the past and had discussions with ppl. does the shift in temp, plus fertile CM guarantee that you have ovulated? does having your period guarantee that you have ovulated? i mean how do you REALLY know?
can you not ovulate but get your period? (anovulatory). can you have a shift in temps and stay high and not necly ovulate. scary thoughts here. in this case would OPKs be the best indicators?

You don't. You get your period (and even that is not necessarily a guarantee) or you can have an ultrasound and the doctor will see the corpus luteum and then you will know you Oed. You are absolutely right, you can have an anovulatory bleed that seems like a period and not have ovulated. But it doesn't work the other way, if you don't have your period, then you didn't O.

The shift in temp plus changes in CM plus O pain are all good indicators that O has occured but even people who are extremely expert can get tricked all the time. I had a fake O a few months ago (was not temping though) that was realer than some of my real Os have been! Even OPKs are tricky because sometimes people have fake surges and their OPK seems positive. Temping is the best sign but even that is so easily affected by other things that it's hard to tell.

[Alexis2007]

I have read that the temp rise after O indicated an increase in progesterone. Normally a fairly good indicator that O has taken place. But as AS pointed out, temping can be affected by lots of things. Not getting enough sleep (3 consecutive hours are required), tossing and turning, getting up, sleeping with your mouth open, temperature of the room, etc, etc. Lots of women take their temperature vaginally to offset some of those things. HTH

[gizmo77]

I have read that the temp rise after O indicated an increase in progesterone. Normally a fairly good indicator that O has taken place. But as AS pointed out, temping can be affected by lots of things. Not getting enough sleep (3 consecutive hours are required), tossing and turning, getting up, sleeping with your mouth open, temperature of the room, etc, etc. Lots of women take their temperature vaginally to offset some of those things. HTH

i totally sleep with my mouth open. :-(