Triphasic Chart

This blog entry is going to be quite different from the last two entries.

So I’ve been charting my basal body temperature for the last 7 months.  That means that every morning as soon as the alarm goes off, I take my temperature.  This method is really good for helping me figure out when I ovulate because women’s temperatures go up after they ovulate.  For me, my temperature is around 97.5 – 97.7 before I ovulate and 98.2 -98.4 afterwards.  This change in temp is known as a temperature shift.

For the last two months, I have also been using an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).  (Thanks to Evelin for a link to cheap ovulation kits!)  The OPK detects one’s LH surge (“Sergio”) which happens 12-48 hours before ovulation.  The peak fertility being 36 hours later.  By using both the OPKs and charts, I’ve learned that one actually ovulates 24 to 48 hours BEFORE the temperature shift.  I had previously thought that ovulation occurs while one is sleeping the night before one’s temperature goes up, but in fact, it could be one to two days before.  So including the day of my positive OPK test to the temperature shift, I have had three more days of low temps. 

Here’s something cool I figured out.  Women surge in the morning.  They should test in the afternoon about 1-2 pm so that the hormone is detectable in the pee.  Using the 36 hour rule, peak fertility time should occur the next night!  (That’s 36 hours, right?!)  The scoop is that couples are supposed to “enjoy themselves” each night until the woman’s basal temp goes up.  I just think it’s cool that peak fertility is at night and not some odd time like “30 hours” later meaning lunch time!  Which could be awkward.

Anywho, what does this have to do with triphasic charts?  Well, this month, about five days after my temperature shift for ovulation, my temperature went up again.  This is called a “triphasic” chart meaning three phases of temperature.  This caught my attention quite profoundly.  For 7 the months before, my waking temperature has never been that high (unless wine was involved!). 

Now, what the triphasic chart means is somewhat controversial.  Taking Charge of Your Fertility says it signifies pregnancy.  The author says she can’t find the research to support that claim, but through her own experience in reading charts, it happens when a woman is pregnant.  FertilityFriend says it doesn’t mean anything.  Many women have them and they are not pregnant.  Many women don't have them and they are pregnant.  They say it’s just a sign that there has been an additional increase in progesterone beyond ovulation.  

So what does this mean in our case?  I have to be honest with you.  On the first morning it was that high, I woke up Dave and said “Something could be up.  If I stay this high, I think I could be pregnant.”  My temperature stayed at 98.6 for 3 days.  And then it went down to 98.4 and 98.2.  I figured the increase was just an anomaly. 

Then it went back up to 98.6.  My temperature rose back to 98.6 and it has stayed there.

Folks,  Dave and I have some good news.  We’ve got a bun in the oven!!!  We’ve confirmed with four tests (one so slightly positive it looked like wishful thinking and three clearly positive ones).  We’re going to the doctor on Wednesday for the “official” test!  I'm actually quite surprised because I just thought it wouldn't happen this month.  Dave, of course, says he knew it would happen this month because I had written this one off!

We’ve decided to “announce” to the blog early in this process partly because that’s what this blog is about and mostly, we’d want the support of people going through this with us, whatever happens.  (I’ve thought often of Carter and Evelin during the last few days.)

Tomorrow, I am going to blog on my early signs of pregnancy and what day they occurred.  I hope it can help others out there along this same process! 

8:05:28 AM