How reliable is bbt charting?

Question

I have pcos and as this is a hormonal condition does this affect your temperature in any way.
I also find it hard to judge weather cm is really watery or not especially after sex.
They say to take your temp at the same time every morning but
does it really have to taken at the same time every day as this is impossible for me as I never wake at the same time.
It varies between a couple of hours sometimes .
Does this happen to any one else and does it affect your chart at all?
I have had ovulation show up on the chart but I never really know if it is true or not. Do you think it possible to miss ovulation ?
I know that pcos can cause you to not ovulate but if your periods are regular than surely this is a good sign that you are ovulating
Your opinions on bbt charting please
Thanks

Thanks so far for the answers
I'd like 2 add that I don't check straight after sex I meant when you check the next day.
My regular wake up time is 5am an this is when I take my temp, but sometimes I wake up a couple of hours earlier I don't temp then but go back to sleep untill 5am.
They say you need 3 hours solid sleep to get a proper reading its on these days when I wake up earlier I'm thinking are not right or would it not make to much difference as I'm going back to sleep till 5am thanx

Answer 1

I am in the same boat. I am 24 and have PCOS and have had two m/c
my doctor told me charting (even on fertility friend) is no so reliable it is a good indication but for some women it just doesn't work.. I have the same problem with cm. and on ff.com my ovulation date changes all the time back and forth. I am also using opt this cycle (after last cycle was 56 days and no ovulation) I got them in bulk 50 for 10 pounds so not to expensive. you could try that as well.. but they are only 90% accurate as well.

I am going in all guns blazing this month, new diet! Wild yam cream! and the sperm meets egg plan..

Id be interested in chatting with you some time through email .
Good Luck!

Answer 2

Charting BBT is the only accurate way to see if your ovulating. When you chart BBT you definitely need to take the temperature every morning at the same time, or with in an hour of that time ( 30 mins before or 30 mins after). When you take your temperature at different times it will affect the results of the charting and make your chart look like a mountain seen. Also if you wake before its your normal time then you need to temp then and then go back to sleep. If you have been asleep for several hours, also they recommend not temping if you wake in the middle of the night. So what I do is, if I wake up 2 hours before my regular time then I temp then but if say I wake up at midnight or one then I wake until my normal time. About the CM I find it easier to check it internally. It gives a more accurate reading for me and after sex is not a good time to test for it, so like if I have sex the night before I wait until the next evening to check my CM. Also a regular period doesn't always mean that you are ovulating. I would just start charting regularly at the same time of morning and then you will clearly see if you ovulate because you have to have 3 consecutive high readings to know that you did indeed ovulate and then if you haven't I would take the charting to the doctor and let them check it out.

Answer 3

Charting is very effective and reliable. It is extremely important to test at the same time each morning--I too had trouble with this at first because I always get up at different times. I just set 2 alarm clocks, 1 for 5am--no matter what and I just take my temp and go straight back to sleep then set another alarm for whatever time I need to get up. This is really easy and becomes a habbit in less than a week. It helps to have a thermometer that can recall the last temp. As for the CM--you need to be checking it too at about the same time each day and after intercourse is not a good time. Semen has the same consistancy as fertile quailty cervical mucus. One tip--if you check your mucus and it feel like fertile mucus but you had intercourse the night before then rub your finger together for about 10 seconds and the semen will dry up and turn sticky but fertile cervical mucus will stay wet and slimy. Regular periods are a pretty good indicator that you are ovulating but with PCOS it's really hard to say. Also, the PCOS will not affect the BBT Charting.

After reading your additional comments: Waking up in the night and then going back to sleep is fine. It happens to me 3 or so nights a week to go pee or something. Just take your temp at 5am as usual. Good luck and baby dust!!

Answer 4

Whew! That's a lot of questions:) Let me try them one by one!
1. Very reliable--bbt charting can help couples avoid pregnancy 98.5 to 99% of the time--it's as effective as another other birth control. And, for healthy couples, bbt charting can be used to conceive with a 98% success rate in the first 6 months of use.
2. Yes, pcos, by inhibiting ovulation at times, will give you annovulatory cycles. So, yes, sometimes your bbt will never rise/stay elevated.
3. They recommend that you take your temperature after at least 3 hours of sleep in a row. It IS best to take it at the same time everyday, but you do have the option of taking at diff. times--but the 3 hours of deep sleep is the most important factor.
4. It is totally possible to not ovulate during a cycle. This is called an annovulatory cycle. Healthy, fertile women sometimes experience this as well as those with conditions which might mkae this more common.

Hope that helps! God bless!

P.S. Oh yes, and SF can appear to be egg-white CM--always err on the side of caution if you are trying to avoid pregnancy (wait one more day). If you are trying to get pregnant, you can still wait one more day b4 having sex again if you want a more acccurate idea of the type of cm you are experiencing, but you certainly don't have to!

Answer 5

Bbt Charting is very relaible, thats why people still do it with all the technology around. I did it for a year on fertilityfriend.com

U really shouldnt check your Cm after sex, u suppose to check it once, twice a day morning and afternoon, but never after sex, ur stuff will me mixed with sperm.

U should take ur temp every day, set your alarm clock and go back to sleep if u need to but it only workes around the same time each day. Shouldnt be later then 1 hr. so Set ur alarm clock (get ready for waking up the same time each day, thats what the babies do to us lol)

There are some months that u may not ovulate expecially if you have PCOS, i would consult ur dr for meds to regulate that, like meteromin, clomid etc.....

Regular cycles do not me u ovulate, trust your chart........if u notice u are not ovulating consullt ur dr for help

Answer 6

I tried it and stopped for the same reason as you, woke up at different times, sleep with my window open, sometimes have pyjamas on sometimes dont wear anything and my temperature was always different, and you can only track ovulation with temperature when you see a rise of a about 1 degree celsius, but like me, my temperature used to differ between several degrees just because of the window being open. I personally dont like this method of tracking ovulation either because you can only see you have ovulated afterwards so i dont find it very useful xxx

Answer 7

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Answer 8

the best way to concive is to have sex everyday for a month you cant miss best of luck to you