Q regarding BBT

[Greydore]

I've started temping this month to get an idea of my cycle. I've temped before so I'm not completely new to it. I'm wondering though how much time has an effect on temperature? Like, if I sleep in how much will it affect temp? I work part time and I have to get up at 3:45 am. When I'm not working I don't wake up until 8:30. Those are 5 hour differences, is this too much to get an accurate chart? Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Technically, yes. If you can't temp at the same time every day it may not work. You can try it this month and see if it works.

What I would suggest instead (or in addition) is picking a time of night when you normally are not super active and don't normally eat or drink anything for a while, and temp then. You can keep two charts going (do not mix and match morning/night temps, though!) and often you can see a pattern even in the night temps.

Now, if this all starts to seem very complicated, IT IS, and as a general rule, if you don't already temp/chart I do not recommend starting it for a pink sway. There are really few benefits. While it's nice to know if you've ovulated, it is often so misleading and inconclusive it oftentimes doesn't even help with that. The idea that past cycles predict future cycles in some way that helps with swaying, just isn't the case. Many times your cycle will change rather dramatically with swaying, and since timing doesn't work anyway, it's all just pointless. And it's just another of those detail-oriented, control freakish things that really may sway blue so personally I'd have you skip it. Your call of course!

[Greydore]

That makes sense, thank you! The only reason I was temping was to see if my spiro is messing with my cycle. I haven't had a period in awhile due to having a mirena iud, but I've had that removed and haven't had a cycle yet, so I'm thinking the spiro is the culprit (I've always gotten my cycle again quickly after birth control and IUD removals).

If you don't recommend temping for girls, do you recommend having sex every 4 days? I don't have much cervical mucus at all, so I really have no way of knowing if I ovulate without temps. It's never been an issue because I get pregnant easily, albeit with boys. When we conceived our boys sex was always every 2, 3 days at the most.

If temping can = stress, wouldn't that sway girl? I am a control freak.

My nerdy side also likes temping just because I find it interesting

[atomic sagebrush]

It's not that temping causes stress, it's that it causes that nerdish "this is interesting" feeling and THAT is what sways blue. I call it "control freakishness" but it's all part and parcel of that "I'm doing a cool project" mentality.

Spiro can mess with your cycle but if nothing happens in a few more weeks I'd call the doc and see if they want to give you anything to kickstart it.

We could do a couple different things, one is take OPK sticks and then have an attempt when you have your first positive, OR we can have you guys BD unprotected every 4 days, or even every 5-7 days if you really, really want to err on the side of one attempt, and you aren't in a hurry to get pregnant that month. That way you can be in with some kind of attempt the first cycle, and then once your period comes back be in a better position in future months to have a better chance of conception. Totally up to you!

[Greydore]

Ah, thanks for differentiating! Every 5-7 days seems so infrequent, but I guess you're bound to hit the fertile period at some point.

[Greydore]

Wow, I just read your MDH thread. While I don't have a dominant personality at all, the part about Martha and Mary struck me. Like, holy crap, I'm Martha! I get very obsessive over things- I mean, it's January and I'm not going to TTC until this summer and I'm on here reading and analyzing everything, worrying about being able to conceive when I have no reason to think that I won't. DH is constantly telling me to stop cleaning and enjoy our boys. I have a hard time being at home because I constantly feel like I should be cleaning or organizing something. My older son is only three and I'm already worried about him possibly becoming addicted to drugs as a teenager (seriously I think about this all the time). I really suck at living in the moment and feel the need to constantly be in control. I laughed at part about not having cumin- THAT IS ME. Thanks for that post and for helping me see that I need to calm down and maybe not spend every waking minute on TTC and gender forums!

[atomic sagebrush]

Ah, thanks for differentiating! Every 5-7 days seems so infrequent, but I guess you're bound to hit the fertile period at some point.

Yes it's not something that is really going to give you stunning odds of conception but if you have weeks to get through and have no clue when O may be coming, you can do it that way to be sure you're in with regular attempts and then once your cycle normalizes, you can decide if you're ready to have more attempts then (since you'll have more of an inkling when to have them)

[atomic sagebrush]

Wow, I just read your MDH thread. While I don't have a dominant personality at all, the part about Martha and Mary struck me. Like, holy crap, I'm Martha! I get very obsessive over things- I mean, it's January and I'm not going to TTC until this summer and I'm on here reading and analyzing everything, worrying about being able to conceive when I have no reason to think that I won't. DH is constantly telling me to stop cleaning and enjoy our boys. I have a hard time being at home because I constantly feel like I should be cleaning or organizing something. My older son is only three and I'm already worried about him possibly becoming addicted to drugs as a teenager (seriously I think about this all the time). I really suck at living in the moment and feel the need to constantly be in control. I laughed at part about not having cumin- THAT IS ME. Thanks for that post and for helping me see that I need to calm down and maybe not spend every waking minute on TTC and gender forums!

Yes, exactly, that's where I think the Maternal Dominance Hypothesis has it so wrong. It's the control freakishness and anxiety and not grr dominance. Any dominance (IMO) comes from that need to control the situations that are triggering the anxiety.