Questions- Low Basal Body Temps and Ovul kits
Hello!
I sure enjoy reading the posts. Its very weird to read some of them, because I feel like they are writing exactly what I am thinking and feeling. We have been trying for our second for exactly 3 years now. Time flies!
So I have a question about my charts. I have been recording my basal body temperatures for awhile. It has been a little comical, because my body is so WEIRD! I laugh at the perfect charts they have as examples in Taking Charge of your fertility. Half of my temperatures are in the 96 range as low as 96.3. What I have read has suggested thyroid might be the problem, but I have had my thyroid tested. My TSH was a little low at .32. I guess the average is .35-5.50. But the Dr. said that my T4( I think that was what she said) was normal so the TSH was okay to be that low.
(And yes I am taking it at the same time in the mornings and following the rules. Expect I do have to get up sometime with my 3 year old, but I always make sure I have 3 consecutive hours.)
Another question is I bought and used an ovulation kit that had 20 tests, but I got a TON of positive results and I am on day 49 and still haven't had a period.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any insights on my strangeness.
I sure enjoy reading the posts. Its very weird to read some of them, because I feel like they are writing exactly what I am thinking and feeling. We have been trying for our second for exactly 3 years now. Time flies!
So I have a question about my charts. I have been recording my basal body temperatures for awhile. It has been a little comical, because my body is so WEIRD! I laugh at the perfect charts they have as examples in Taking Charge of your fertility. Half of my temperatures are in the 96 range as low as 96.3. What I have read has suggested thyroid might be the problem, but I have had my thyroid tested. My TSH was a little low at .32. I guess the average is .35-5.50. But the Dr. said that my T4( I think that was what she said) was normal so the TSH was okay to be that low.
(And yes I am taking it at the same time in the mornings and following the rules. Expect I do have to get up sometime with my 3 year old, but I always make sure I have 3 consecutive hours.)
Another question is I bought and used an ovulation kit that had 20 tests, but I got a TON of positive results and I am on day 49 and still haven't had a period.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any insights on my strangeness.
Comments
I would definitely look into the Thyroid thing. Even if you look at herbal supplements or see if there is something you can do on your own (or go to a different doctor! DO or even a TCM). What I've heard from a lot of people (including doctors) is your thyroid hormones flucuate throughout your cycle, so it could have been a faulty reading. For instance, T4 is a hormone that cycles back to your pituitary gland telling it to stop making TSH (I forgot the technical name for this). So you could have gotten a reading with "excess" (for your body at this point) T4 telling the pituitary gland to stop the TSH. AND what may be "normal" for one person is not normal for another. Your temperatures are way off! That is not normal. That in itself should suggest something is up.
I forgot if you mentioned this in your post, but have you had any type of temperature shift? I'm wondering if your hormones are just naturally higher than what an OPT detects. Did you have lab work to test your FSH and LH ratio?
Lower temps also mean you live longer :) I don't think the temp being low is what is bad... just that it's not normal and is therefore considered a symptom of something else.
Second. You can get positive OPKs and not ovulate. This is a sign of a high LH. You may want to get some cycle day 3 labs run to check for PCOS and see if your LH is running abnormally high.
Running a high LH is bad because the LH inhibits correct maturation of the egg follicle. So you could be ovulating immature eggs that are unfertilizable.
About the thyroid-just wanted to clarify. Emily is definitely NOT hypothyroid if her TSH is less than 1. It's confusing because hyperthyroid means that you have a really low TSH, and hypothyroid means you have a high TSH. So if anything, Emily would be very slightly HYPERthyroid according to her bloodwork, which doesn't correlate with the low temps. I think Queen Mother is probably onto something with the LH, and I would start my search there...
Jen L- my temp went from 96.43 to a high of 97.9 over 5 days and then 14 days later I had a period. Is that what you mean when you asked if I had had a temp shift?
I don't know if they tested my LH ratio.
Queen Mother- What do you mean when you say for me to have some cycle 3 day labs for PCOS? And would I want synthroid if I am hyperthyroid?
Day 3 of your cycle lab tests check for your baseline hormones. Day 3-5 is sort of your body's resting zone, and it can give a clearer picture of what is going on. PCOS is when your LH to FSH ratio is out of proportion. Usually the two hormones are 1:1 pre-ovulation, but with PCOS the LH is elevated causing a 2:1 or higher ratio. So day 3 tests would reveal all of this. If you had an elevated LH, this would explain your crazy ovulation tests. Since OT detect LH, your LH level may be too high to begin with for the tests to notice a change, therefore causing a positive test day after day... even before ovulation.
If your doctor said your tests look normal, it may be hard for you to get any type of medication. I would check out a book from the library about infertility and natural treatments... especially a book about Traditional Chinese Medicine. You may find some natural ways to help thyroid function. Also, the book I have posted at the right of the blog describes pressure points and how to perform acupressure on yourself... which is obviously cheaper than acupuncture :) Perhaps some techniques there would be helpful.
Hope that all made sense :)