I know that BBT charting can be quite difficult for those of us that are PCOS. My doctor asked me to use it because of an increase in my metformin.

My question is, have any of you PCOS ladies actually been able to see (or have a program like Fertility Friend charts) flag your BBT for ovulation? If so, does anyone know how accurate it is?

My chart got flagged on fertility friend (with a 3 day temp rise) but I am wary and wondering if anyone else has any experiences or suggestions?

Hey there, I've got pcos and haven't had a problem with charting, I do however have a pretty reg cycle at 35 days and was always fairly sure I was ovulating. If you click on the link in my sig it will show you my chart history, ov was easy to detect.
Good luck!

hi i have pcos but i have never do a chart. how do u do this? only got told i had it in dec 08 but only now were are trying 4 a baby but was on pill since july 08 until last month so don;t know what 2 do. HELP? lol

I have PCOS and chart. I started after reading Toni Weschler's book and now use www.fertilityfriend.com to confirm my observations.

Once I'd got the hang of it I worried less when my cycles are longer as I know what's going on.

Also since I began Metformin my cycles became more regular and I now seem to ovulate nearly every cycle.

I hope everything works out for you

Thanks Kota!! That gives me hope. This is the first sign of ovulation I've had in a year, I am trying not to get too excited. And bedroom timing was accidentally very *good* timing, so.... now I wait and see.

Becci, BBT charting is pretty easy. Best to get a Basal Body Thermometer (most drug stores have them, or you can buy one online) and take your temperature first thing in the morning when you wake up. Don't get up first, eat, pee, drink... wake up and take your temperature around the same time each day. These are the exact instructions from Fertility Plus. I would post the link, but I don't have enough Forum posts.

"Charting your BBTs is really pretty easy. Basically, what you are doing is taking your temperature first thing each day and plotting the temperature on a chart. What you are looking for is to see a shift of at least .4 degrees Fahrenheit after ovulation making your chart biphasic (showing low temperatures before ovulation in the follicular phase, and higher ones after ovulation in the luteal phase).

1. Take your temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed or even speak -- leave your thermometer at your bedside within easy reach so you donÕt have to move much to get it. If you use a glass thermometer, make sure you shake it down before going to bed.

2. Try to take the temperature at as close to the same time each day as possible -- set an alarm if you need to. Staying within a half hour either side of your average time is a good idea because your temp can vary with the time (i.e., if you usually take your temperature at 6 a.m., it is OK to take your BBT between 5:30-6:30, but the closer to 6 the better). The normal variation is by up to .2 degrees per hour -- lower if you take your temperature early, higher if you take it late.

3. It is best to take your BBT after a minimum of 5 hours sleep, and at least 3 in a row is preferable.

4. You can take your temperature orally, vaginally, or rectally -- just stay with the same method for the entire cycle.

5. You should try to place the thermometer the same way each day (same location of your mouth, same depth vaginally and rectally).

6. Plot your temperature on your chart each day, but refrain from reading too much into it until the cycle is done.

7. Some women, not all, have a temperature drop when they ovulate. If you see this drop, it is a good idea to have sex in case you are ovulating.

8. What you are looking for is a temperature shift of at least .4 degrees over a 48-hour period to indicate ovulation. This shift should be above the highest temperatures in the previous six days, allowing one temperature to be thrown out as inaccurate (fluke, illness). Perhaps the best way to explain this is to show an example.

9. After you see a temperature shift for at least three days, or at the end of your cycle, you can draw a coverline between your follicular phase and luteal phase temperatures. With luck, it is easy to see a clear shift and draw your line between the highest follicular phase BBT and the lowest luteal phase BBT as in the sample above. The main reason for drawing this line is just to clearly delineate that your chart is biphasic.

10. Look at the chart at the end of the month to analyze what happened.

11. Chart for a few months and look for patterns.

12. If your temperature stays up for 18 days or more after ovulation, you should test for pregnancy.

One thing to note is that women with ovulatory cycles but with irregular cycle lengths, the greatest variation from cycle to cycle should be in the follicular phase. The luteal phase should be relatively constant (within 1-2 days). So if one has a cycle that ranges from 28-34 days, and a luteal phase of 14 days, ovulation would occur somewhere between days 14-20 -- not the middle of a cycle, not day 14 . . . This is the biggest mistake women with long cycles make when trying to conceive.

You can put your temperatures onto a paper chart if you like. There are tons available for download, just do a google search.

Or, you can use a free online charting place like Fertility Friend.

Fertility Friend is free, and it even tells you when it thinks you ovulated. You can enter your body temperature and a few other fertility signs there too.

Thanks, Clueless! I'm hoping for more regularity from the Metformin too. Glad it helped you!!

thanks so much i goin 2 get 1 2moz thanks alot i have copied and pasted it 2 my p.c thanks again xxx

I also started after reading this, It's a GREAT book and I'd def recommend it to anyone wanting to get a little more in tune with their body.

Hi all!

I too have PCOS and I also Chart. This is only my 3rd cycle of charting, but my cycles have ranged a lot during this time. Feel free to take a look at my link to my chart.

I find it good to see if I actually do ovulate each cycle. And of course I try to predict ovulation If I see a drop in temp etc, so to try and get some more bd'ing in.

I believe Fertility Friend needs 2 cycles of charting, before it can start to perhaps giving you some acurate predictions etc.

Good luck with the ttc and plenty of to you all!!