Today I am posting an article written by our resident charting pro, Margarita. She was kind enough to write up the basics on charting your fertility cycle when you are trying to conceive. Read below for some VERY helpful information.

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I’m no expert, that’s for sure, but I’ve been charting since mid-February 2002, and this is a summary (long, though it is) of what I’ve learned. First of all, I highly recommend reading Toni Weschler’s book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility (TCOYF). It’s very informative and how I learned most of what I know. I think every woman should read it, ttc or not.There are three parts to charting: basal body temperature, cervical fluid, and cervical position (optional).

Basal body temperature (BBT)
First you need to buy a basal temperature thermometer. It should say “basal” right on the package. You don’t want to use a regular fever thermometer because they aren’t sensitive enough (only two-tenths of a degree versus one-tenth with basals). You can get them at pharmacies, grocery stores, and some department stores (Wal-mart has them). I have a digital one and really like it because it beeps when it’s ready and remembers the last temp taken so I can double check every morning. I suggest one with a backlight if you can find one. Mine doesn’t have one, so I have a little flashlight on my nightstand to read it in the dark (I temp at 6am).

You’ll also need a chart to record your temps and other fertility signs. My thermometer came with some charts. With my really long cycles, they weren’t big enough, so I made my own with Excel. You can also chart online at various sites, such as: www.fertilityfriend.com , www.ovusoft.com , and www.babymed.com .

Your BBT is your waking or at rest temperature. So, you’ll need to take your temperature at the same time every morning before you get out of bed or do anything. If you have a regular thermometer, you even need to shake it down the night before. You should have at least 4 hours of consecutive sleep before temping. Lay in bed drowsing while you wait for it to beep (or however long the regular ones take).

If you temp at a different time one morning, you can adjust it for more accuracy. Your BBT rises .1 degrees for each 30 minutes you temp later than your normal time, and lowers by .1 degrees for each 30 minutes you temp earlier than your normal time. You should adjust your temp if it’s done more than 20 minutes different from your normal time. This is only reliable for up to 90 minutes. For example, I normally temp at 6am. If I sleep late and don’t temp until 7:30, I would add .3 degrees to my thermometer reading, chart that temp, and make a note of the adjustment in my notes for the day. If I sleep until 8:00, I would record the temp as read and mark it so I know it was done at the wrong time.

BBT cannot predict when you will ovulate, but it will tell you when you have ovulated as well as let you know if you’re pregnant. Also, once you’ve charted for several cycles, you can look for temperature patterns that will help you estimate when you might ovulate. The signal that you’ve O’d is when your BBT rises by at least .2 degrees and stays up for at least 3 days in a row. The last low temp before the rise is probably your O day, but some women have a delayed rise a couple of days after O. It should stay high until AF shows. You might have a dip, which is often falsely called an implantation dip, but it’s only due to a second smaller surge of estrogen and does not necessarily mean you’re pg. If your BBT stays high for 18+ days, you’re probably pregnant!! There is also what’s called a triphasic pattern where there’s a second increase in temperatures around the time of implantation (6-10 days past O), which often indicates pregnancy.

Once you have 3 high temps, you can draw what’s called a coverline. The general rule for doing this is to look at the 6 previous low temps, and draw a line through the temperature one-tenth of a degree above the highest of those six. So if your highest temp the last 6 days was 97.4, your coverline would be at 97.5. The coverline is a guideline for seeing whether you may be pregnant or not. If your temps fall below cover, you’re not pg. A fall can also indicate that AF is coming, but my temps often don’t drop below my coverline until after AF leaves.

The number of days between ovulation and AF is called your luteal phase (LP). It is usually 12-16 days. An LP of less than 10 days can indicate low progesterone. You should talk to your doctor if you suspect you have a short LP. The length varies in that general range among different women. However, for you personally, it will only vary by give or take a day. So, if your LP is 14 days (great length, BTW), it could be 15 or 13 but probably not 12 or 16 (unless you’re pg!).

There are some special temperature patterns that some women exhibit, such as stair-step rise, slow-rise, and fall-back rise. You can read about those in TCOYF or post a link to your online chart and ask for help if you’re having problems determining when you’ve O’d. Other than that, that should cover it for BBT. Here are some “normal” ranges for temps you can use as a guideline, but keep in mind that some women naturally have higher or lower temps.

Pre-ovulatory – 96.8 – 97.5
Luteal Phase – 97.6 – 98.6

Cervical Mucous (CM)
There are five basic types of CM. From least to most fertile, they are: dry, sticky, creamy, watery, and eggwhite. Eggwhite is clear and stretchy. It’s the best way to tell when you’re about to O. When you have EWCM, you should have intercourse (BD – baby dance). You usually have 2-4 days of fertile CM. Some women don’t get eggwhite and watery is their most fertile CM. That’s okay. Just be sure to BD whenever you have watery or eggwhite CM. Your last day of most fertile CM or lubricative vaginal sensation is your Peak Day and is the day before or of ovulation. It’s normal to have increased wetness for a day or so before AF, too. If you’ve just gone off BCP, you may have consistently milky CM, which can be confusing. Or if you have really long cycles like I did, you can have multiple patches of EWCM before actually ovulating.

Cervical Position (CP)
It may take you a few cycles to figure out your cervical position. I’m still confused sometimes. You should check it at about the same time every day. You can put one leg up on the bathtub or squat, but always use the same position. Just insert one or two fingers into the vagina and feel for your cervix. I don’t know how to describe it, but you’ll know when you feel it. The most fertile is when it’s high and soft, like the end of your nose. The least fertile is low and firm, like a pencil eraser. Then, there are various levels of medium. Sometimes it can be hard to tell during those times, but you’ll know when it’s really low and hard and, most importantly, when it’s really high and squishy. Sometimes it’s hard to even reach. There’s also open (fertile) versus closed (infertile), but I’ve never been able to tell on that.

Cycle Tracking and HPTs
In counting the days of your cycle, CD 1 (cycle day 1) is the first day of AF, meaning the first day of red flow. Don’t count spotting as CD 1. When you ovulate, the days following are referred to as dpo (days past ovulation). If you just can’t wait to see if you’re pg, depending on the length of your LP and the brand of HPT you’re using, you can test around 12-13 dpo. Since this whole process isn’t an exact science, though, it’s best to wait (if you can) until 16 dpo. Of course, if you’ve charted several cycles and know that your LP is never longer than 13 days, by all means, test away.

Miscellaneous
Also be sure to write anything unusual on your chart, like cramps, PMS, nausea, headaches, stress, exercise, drastic change in environment (altitude, climate, etc.), anything. You’d be surprised what kinds of patterns you may find. Which reminds me, you may start noticing things you’ve never noticed before. So try not to freak out about every little thing. Stress can often delay ovulation and make you even more nuts. Been there, done that.

Finally, keep in mind that deciphering all this charting stuff can be very confusing at first. Give it time. You need at least 2 cycles of charts in order to look for your own personal patterns and maybe more before you see any. So good luck, and if and when you get confused, feel free to fire away any questions at us here, and we’ll try to help. We were all beginners once, so we understand.

Baby dust to all!!!