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Track your Cycles

Fertility Friend Fertility Chart
My fertility chart from the cycle I got pregnant with my 2nd pregnancy
  • Basal Body Temperature (BBT)

Take your BBT (basal body temperature) through out your cycles. The first day of your cycle is the first day of flow from your menstrual cycle. Once my postpartum period arrived after having my first child at 17 months  postpartum, I started temping (taking my temperature)from the first cycle through all nine postpartum periods I had between my first two pregnancies. I have had 9 postpartum periods, but we only tried for 6 cycles of the 9 postpartum periods. 
  • Cross Hairs
If you look at my fertility friend chart from my 2nd pregnancy, you will see there is a line that goes across my chart horizontally and one that goes vertically. Those are called cross hairs. 
  • What Do Cross Hairs Mean?
The line going down that goes through the line going across, marks when I ovulated. The temps (temperature) in front of the line that goes down, are pre-ovulation temps, the temps after it are post ovulation temps. The line going across show my cover line. 
  • Why Are Cross Hairs Important?
Having your cross hairs is important, because you know that you ovulated.  If your charts consistently show no cross hairs, that means you may not be ovulating. 
  • When Do You Get Cross Hairs?
Cross Hairs should show up in a few days if your temperature stays high. I am told for FertilityFriend.com, the FAM (Fertility Awareness) or Advanced settings, it determines cross hairs by the 3 over 6 rule. That means 3 temperatures that were .01 degrees higher than your 6 previous temperatures. Cross hairs may often show up around 3 DPO (days pass ovulation).
  • Reasons for Delayed Cross Hairs
One reason a chart may not have cross hairs right away is if it is missing too many temperatures. If you do not take your temperature consistently every day from cycle day 1 to present day on your chart, it may take longer to receive cross hairs, if you are going to get to them.
  • Possible Pregnancy
If your temps (temperatures) stay above your cover line and pass your luteal phase it usually means you are pregnant, unless your period is late due to other factors that are not related to pregnancy. If your temps fall below your cover line, it can mean your period is on its way. There are of course exceptions.

  • No Cross Hairs
If you do not get any cross hairs, this could simply mean your body geared up to ovulate, but for whatever reason was unable to finish. Or it means you have an annovulatry cycle, where ovulation did not occur. It is possible to have ovulation without a period (like catching the first egg before the first postpartum period comes) and a period with ovulation.
  • Should cover lines stay the same? 
 I have heard that cover lines can vary,  some say around .1-.3 degrees. Others say alot, because of different things, such as stress, illness, sleep, and other factors going on during that cycle that can affect temperatures. Unless, ones routine is exactly the same without any other factors to change it, I would imagine there would be some slight variations at least. 

Last Edited: December 4, 2018
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