in regards to checking your basal temp.. {*OP edit}

when trying to chart & track ovulation,

are you supposed to record it when you are menstruating as well?  i mean just every day, no matter what?

{post edit ques: when they say its best to check it in the morning, or do certaing things at a certain time of day other than check your temp, such as youre more likely to ovulate at [x] part of the day.... does it really matter the actual time of day, or just when you wake up?  workin nights makes all that screwy for me}

bump

I did out of habit so my morning routine didn't change.  Never got a true yes or no either way and chalked it up to personal preference.  My temp would spike a day or 2 before my period started so learning that and seeing it marked down as typical really helped cut a lot of frustration otherwise.

I've not charted my BBT before but I do enjoy researching things and here's what I found...

You should start charting your tempurature on the first day of your period and take your temperature every day throughout your ENTIRE cycle (period included). About.com has some great info on this:

http://infertility.about.com/od/tryingtoconce ive101/ss/howtoBBTchart_2.htm

Also, you can chart your temperatures online at Fertility Friend. They also have some online "courses" you can take on how to chart your temps. Here's their website (which is free to use):

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/

Good luck!

thank youu!!  well im already now on day 5 of my cycle..... but can i start anywhere?

Start anytime... you don't necessarily need to keep temps during your period. In fact, those temps won't be really accurate. Right before your period, you'll see a drop, which is the dip in progesteron levels. However, because of everything that goes on during your period, those temps could be unnaturally high. Keeping track of temperatures is beneficial in finding out exactly the day of ovulation (when your temp spikes)... but if you're charting for birth control, you don't even need to keep track after your 3rd consectutive high temp. If you're trying to conceive, then continue tracking your temperature throughought... 18 consectutive high temps is indicative of pregnancy.

Good luck!

i will be charting to concieve!  so thank you very much!  all this ovulation stuff is soooooooooooo confusing to me

new ques

bump!

It is important to chart you temperature as soon as you wake up, preferably while still lying in bed and have the thermometer right beside you. 

If you get up and move around before taking your temperature your body generates heat and can mess it up, remember the changes you are tracking in BBT are very small sometimes just 0.1F so movement affects them very much.

If you are working shifts I would recommend having two standard times you measure your temperature, 1 time for working days and 1 time for when you work nights and make a note on your chart, that way you can start to notice a trend for example: When you wake up at 6am your temperature is generally 1F lower then when you wake up at 6pm

i see, thats a good idea w the two different records depending on what shift im on/what times i wake, also, do you think the quantity or quality of sleep i get would sway the readings? 

when i am on nights i never seem to get as much sleep or sleep quite as well but would still like to record if it wouldnt be misleading...

I don't know if how much sleep you get will affect it, from my impression it's just a total body at rest temperature.  I would try charting using

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/

It's the site I used and other people have recommended it too, and just see how it turns out. 

It can take a couple of months to establish your pattern and the site allows you to set a standard time when you take your temperature so you can pick your morning wake up time for that, and days when you take your temperature at a different time will show up as an open circle on your chart so it's easy to see which days you were working nights vs days.  You also get free VIP membership i.e. access to the forums for the first month so you can ask there about the shift work thing and see how other people have been dealing with it.

will do, many thanks again!