BBT and Ovulation Please help!!!

I've been doing my BBT for last 2 mos and OPKs. My normal temps stay between 97.4s and 97.7s. When I get a pos Opk I have o pains that evening or very early the next morning(like 12am-2am). Then when i temp that morning my temps stay within the normal range for the next 4 or 5 days then the temp shoots up to 98. something for the rest of the cycle. My temps dont slowly rise they stay normal then the big rise. What does that mean? When is temps supposed to rise? Does this mean I don't o when the opk is pos or what i'm feeling is not o pains? I guess the main question is when is my egg after oing supposed to shed the corpus lentium shell that makes the temp rise and does this mean my egg is not functioning properly? We have been ttc for almost 3 yrs, have done clomid and femara and 3 iuis, my cycle and ovulation are perfect and we have never even had a late AF.  Please, any answers would greatly help me understand whats going on!!!!

[kerriebo]

There is no way to know exactly when you O.  I have been tracking my BBT since February.  It has made me very aware of my cycle.  Unfortunatly I am VERY irregular.  I go from 28 to 42 days, with no real pattern.  They have gotten longer since I have been on clomid and follistem.  From what I have read your temp should drop when you are getting ready to O and then spike once you have O'ed and drop again when AF arrives or is on the door step.  I found out by my BBT that I rarely O naturally.  If your temp does not spike and stay up then you did not O.  You will still have AF but you just did not O.  If you have regular cycles you likely O regularly too.  Irregular cycles is a clue that you dont O.  Things to remember when taking BBT to ensure accuracy, you need to take your temp the same day every day (within 30 minutes is what I read).  Your dip and spike will likely only be half a degree or so, so accuracy is very important.  You may just need more cycles to compare too.  I really was not able to establish a pattern until I had 4 cycles recordeed.  There are also lots of good trackers online you can use to help understand your temps.  I used fertilityfriend.com at first, until I got an idea of what I was looking at.    I am not sure if that answers your question, hope it helps.  Good luck and SSBD!!!

[kerriebo]

Oh yeah, I forgot to say something about taking BBT.  You are suppose to take it first thing upon waking up and after at least 2 hours of sleep.

[Nia528]

Thank you for your help!!  I do o on my own. I temp every morning at approx. the same time. I get the dip in temp and then get the pos opk. I just don't get the spike in temp till 4 or 5 days after the pos opk. When I get the spike my temp stays up for 14 days then drops then af shows up. I just dont understand why it takes that long for my temp to spike. Is it possible not to o till 4 or 5 days after you detect the lh surge(pos opk)? Thanks again!!!

[bam1014]

I believe that you can O 12-36 hours after the LH surge.  There was another post on here recently about slow rising temps after O and a lady mentioned that it does happen.

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is a fantastic book, and the lady said that she addresses that concern.  If I can remember I will look it up when I get home.

[Nia528]

Thank you!! I would really appreciate it!!!

[bam1014]

Here is what the book says:

"Some women will notice that instead of their temperature shifting by at least 2/10ths of a degree higher than the previous 6 lows, their temperatures rise by merely 1/10th of a degree at a time.  While this type of shift may seem fairly confusing to interpret, it can be done.

Wait for the first time your temperature rises at least 1/10th degree above the highest of the last 6 temperatures.  <>

Once your temperature remains above the coverline for at least 4 days, you can be quite certain that you have O'd.  In addition you should nver consider yourself safe during such slow-rising temperatures unless you can corroborate your infertile phase with the Peak Day Rule.

If you are using FAM for achieveing pregnancy, you should consider the post-O phase to be all temperatures above the coverline, but realize that your O probably occured a day or more earlier.  Remember that O most likely occurs the day of, or the day after the Peak Day, which is the last day of EWCM."

I realize this doesn't help much . . . but the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is an excellent resource and I would absolutely say the $25 is worth it!  The explanation is much better if you can see the sample chart.

[Nia528]

Thank you!!!!