I've Got a Fever...

Basal body temperature.  That's the key phrase of the day.  And here are the rules for being in this very anal retentive, OCD club.  

1) Take your temperature at the exact same day every day, and only in the morning.  

2) To take your temperature, leave the basal thermometer (found at the local Walgreens) by your bed and stick it in your mouth at the same time of morning every day.  Record the temperature and record it on your basal chart.

3) When you are taking your temperature, you must have had at least 3 hours of solid sleep.  Do not move.  Do not sleep with your mouth open.  Do not dare wiggle a toe.  Just act like a corpse until the temperature alarm rings.

The alternative to doing the above like clockwork for months on end is to stick the thermometer in your vagina and fall back asleep.  PASS.

It seems like a lot to digest, and believe me, I was not into it at first.  But now, it's almost like a game of prediction.  The point of "charting" is to find out the day AFTER you ovulate.  

This was my first month charting, and as per usual, my results were weird and unreadable.  The temperature dropped, and then rose when it was supposed to, indicating ovulation had occurred.  But then, it did something wonky, and the temperature dropped dramatically for no apparent reason.  After a day or so, it started back up the scale again.  I checked a few sites and saw the word "anovulation."  I did the slo-mo scream of  "NOOOooOOOoOoOOOOoooo...." and then kept looking for an answer that wouldn't make me want to vomit.

I drove myself insane doing some irresponsible Googling, and finally found something that made logical sense and that didn't make me want to off myself.

"Fallback rise is a chart pattern in which your temperature rises after ovulation, but then falls back down immediately.  This usually happens at 2-3 days past ovulation.  It then goes back up shortly after.

Before ovulation, estrogen levels peak and then drop, causing LH levels to peak and then drop, causing ovulation.  The theory of "fallback rise" is that the estrogen level is still dropping after the LH level has dropped, and the progesterone levels have not risen high enough to push the temperature up.  Estrogen causes low temps, progesterone high temps.  By the next day, the estrogen level is down and the progesterone level pushes the temperature back up."

Duh.