thinking about giving up on BBT

miranda_mom

Hi everyone,

I have been doing BBT for the last 48 days now. I am feeling really frustrated. For the last week, I have been having cramps, tender breasts, some EWCM here and there. But my temps do not indicate that I have ovulated. Okay, fine. But I just feel like taking and tracking the temps is stressing me out. So I'm wondering what everyone else's experience has been.
On one hand, I think yeah, this is putting my focus on it every single day and it would be more relaxing to just let whatever is going to happen, happen. On the flip side, I surely would have thought I ovulated even though I apparently didn't. So keeping up with it would keep me from that disappointment when I would later find out that I didn't ovulate. Any thoughts?

EmilyMCO

When I was TTC# 1, I did BBT for months. I had ridiculously long charts (60 days for a typical cycle). I was so proud of them when I brought them to the reproductive endocrinologist because I could tell her "Look, I ovulated!" she wasn't all that impressed... She basically said, "okay, so you're ovulating, but the main issue is that you're not ovulating monthly, like your supposed to. We need to deal with that more directly." this led to Clomid to induce ovulation and I continued to chart BBT while on Clomid (even though I was getting ultrasounds to check out follicles.). So both times, the BBT was more for my own benefit and helped me feel like I was being more proactive to conceive, but it wasn't really necessary.

So I think BBT is very useful if you have somewhat regular cycles and want to confirm that your ovulating (and don't want to pay for OPKs. But if it's stressing you out and not giving you any piece of mind, then maybe it would be okay to stop it for a while. I like the idea of having some sort of a chart to record TTC details- things like cervical fluid, when AF happened, when you BD can be helpful information to bring to the doctor.

ShannonJohnson

I think it is difficult myself. I started doing it this summer after we did not succeed with our first IVF treatment. I went for about 50 days with no luck showing any change in my temp, I was also checking by cervical mucus and could tell I did not ovulate by that as well. I got sick of waiting and called my doctor after a failed pregnancy test and got on Provera to induce my period and start over.

So I should be done with that in a few days and hope that I will maybe see something this time. I also am starting acupuncture tomorrow, there is a lot online about it and how it can help you ovulate so I figured I'd give it a try. It is disapointing doing the BBT because once you his about day 20 in your cycle and you have not seen anything each day you get a little more and more disapointed. But unfortunatly for us it is the only way to really see if we did or not.

I just figure it is the easiest thing for me to do to feel like I am trying something. I have it all next to my bed and a app on my phone called OvuView, I love it! Super simple and it will go off your alarm after doing it a few days in a row so a notice will pop up when my alarm goes off and I just open it and enter my temp from that page and I'm done. Knowing that I have PCOS and that I don't know if I ever ovulate on my own I don't worry if I miss a day or two, if I want to sleep in and not worry about doing it I don't. Because if I ovulate my temp will keep going up so at least I have a idea of a day I did it. Hasn't happened to me yet but I hope soon it will.

Good luck with it!

miranda_mom

Thanks for your responses ladies. We are not looking to do any fertility assistance. We are both of the mindset that if it happens, it happens and if it doesn't, it doesn't. The main thing that is stressing me out is thinking that it might have happened but I didn't know. That's actually why I've been doing the BBT so I would know whether I ovulated. Like right now, I would be thinking that I did (all the other signs are there, except the temp) but the temp is saying I didn't. It's just that, like Shannon said, every day when I take it and it's still low, I think "darn, it wasn't yesterday" and it is disappointing. But it would be more disappointing to think that I did and then find out that I never did.

aspahr11610

What does BBT mean? Everyone uses it.

ShannonJohnson

BBT is your basil body temp, it is a thermometer that takes your temp to like the 10th degree or something. Like mine today was 96.71 and yesterday it was 96.99, you follow it to the exact degree and if there is a significate increase that would mean you ovulated the day prior.

Shirvona

I do BBT charting along with taking Clomid (triple dose) and doing OPK, I find it very useful for confirming that the Clomid is working but I use a website called fertilityfriend.com. This site it awesome they give free tutorials of how to read your chart, it even has a app for your iPhone that is simple to use.

I find that using the fertilityfriend.com is great for keeping track of my temps, meds, sex, test results, specifics (ex. tender breast, cramps, back pain, etc.). I was able to tell the day before my period started, I was able to tell when I was pregnant for the first time without having to take a test but I did anyway to see if what the charting was telling me was true or not, unfortunately I was also able to tell when I miscarried even though none of the tests at hospital were saying I was wrong for 3 weeks and the doctors then called it a "missed miscarriage".

I think very highly of BBT charting and my husband actually got right into seeing any of the results of my charting and he said seeing them also help with him to understand a little more of the stuff that maybe going through my head, he just can't believe how many things I keep track of daily.

Best of Luck

ged630

I am not currently TTC...but have been thru it twice. 2 years the first time and 5 years the second time. BBT drove me nuts (or it was related to the Clomid) I found this great tool called the OVwatch. I would highly suggest looking into it. It basically tracking your ovulation with your sweat while you sleep. You only have to wear it at night. I as my doctor about it before I bought it. He hadn't heard of it but told me any bodily fluid could be used to track ovulation. It also tells you two days (I think) before you actually ovulate. It worked month 4 for us. Took 90% of the stress off me.

Feel free to message me if you any questions about the watch. It was a godsend to me!

miranda_mom

Thanks ladies - an update - I am still taking my temp everyday. However, I am working toward truly feeling in my heart that if it's meant to happen it will and if it's not, it won't. We already have a wondering five year old daughter who was conceived naturally after a year of trying. So I am not feeling like my life or family are incomplete. I am trying to be happy with us as a trio. if we have another, great. But I am happy either way. We are not looking to do fertility treatments at all so I'm trying to just take some of the stress off of myself. If I ever feel like the BBT is truly stressing me out too much, I will stop.