Charting question

veruca5839

I'm on cycle two of charting, and so far so good.

My question is about thermometers.  The first cycle I only had a regular thermometer (not labeled as "basal").  I went out and bought a basal-specific thermometer to use for this cycle.  It seems the basal one is giving me lower-temp readings than the other thermometer.  I know patterns, not the actual temps, matter for charting.  But, I'm curious to know if there should be such a big difference between thermometers?  (I thought they were all pretty much the same...).  Just kind of curious.

jweat013

That's a good question! I have no idea, but I do have some pretty low temps with my basal. . . My pre-O temp is usually around 96.8 (sometimes lower), and post-O is around 97.8.

veruca5839

Me too!  My pre-O is now around 96.6, whereas with the other thermometer it was 97.4.  I just thought maybe a basal thermometer was more sensitive, and figured I'd ask.

kdonedizzle

Yes, there is a big difference.  You will get a much more accurate temp with a Basal.  Like you already said, it isnt so much the temps as it is the pattern.  But the advantage to having the basal and measuring the lower temps is that your thermal shift will be much more accurate and "pretty" on your chart.

veruca5839

Karrey31:

Yes, there is a big difference.  You will get a much more accurate temp with a Basal.  Like you already said, it isnt so much the temps as it is the pattern.  But the advantage to having the basal and measuring the lower temps is that your thermal shift will be much more accurate and "pretty" on your chart.

Ahhhhh, thanks Karrey!