I am trying to conceive and have been monitoring my cervical mucus and my basal temperature, but it doesn't seem to be matching up. My cervical mucus was clear and slippery days 15 through 17, but then my basal temperature did not increase until day 23. I am at day 26 now and my temperature has remained higher. Do you think I ovulated during days 15-17, or right before day 23? The 2 symptoms of ovulation do not seemed to be matched up correctly. Thank you! :)

Hmmm that's rather odd. But it is possible your body was preparing for ovulation with the cervical fluid, and you didn't ovulate for a few days. Was there ANY rise in temp from day 17? Like it was moving up? Mine sometimes does that... it won't be a big jump in temp but it will gradually rise.

You temp will remain high until your next period (about 12-16 days post ovulation) then it will drop. Or, if you happened to get pregnant, it will remain high throughout your pregnancy.

You seem to be tracking pretty well :) I would suggest tossing ovulation predictor kits in there too. Many factors can effect your cervical fluid and temp... such as infection, use of alcohol, lack of sleep, arousal fliuds etc. Using an ovulation test may help you narrow down your window of ovulation... because techincally right now the only thing you are using is your cervical fluid... because when your temp rises you have ALREADY ovulated, and its usually too late to get pregnant by then because the egg starts to breakdown.

Good luck :)

Thank you for your response. I will tell you exactly the temps that I had-
Day 15- 97.4
Day 16- 97.2
17- 97.2
18- 97.2
19- 97.2
20- 97.3
21- 97.4
22- 97.2
23- 97.6
24- 97.7
25- 97.7
26- today was 98.4 but that's inaccurate I think because I forgot to take it until 7 min after I woke up and I had already gotten out of bed.

I'm still fairly new at this, so I will try an ovulation kit next month. I was just wondering if there was any explanation for this, and if next month I should aim to conceive based on the mucus time or if it would be a few days after that (right before temp goes up).
During the week of days 15-22 I was on vacation, so perhaps the eating and staying up late could have affected things?

Well yup... you didn't start rising until the 23rd day... but also you had a pattern that may be "your" pattern. Some women experience a slight rise, then drop, then rise again. Like on day 20, 21, 22, 23...

Your vacation may very well have played into this as well.

I would say start timing sex with your change in fluid... because that fluid is what nourishes the sperm and helps transport the sperm... that is almost a for sure sign you are ovulating. And because of all the things that can effect your temp, it may be hard to guess when your temp will rise next month, but obviously you will be aware the day your cervical fluid changes.
But start having sex with the sign of your fluid change... keep charting your temps and have sex every other day until you notice your temp rise.

You seem to be following the lines of Natural Family Planning :) I would recommend getting the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" (The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement) by Toni Weschler. I got mine off eBay for less then $10. It is a GREAT book, and shows you all the different patterns when tracking your temps. And tells you ALL the fertility signs your body will have. It is a VALUABLE resource!

Oh... are you using a chart? Or just writing your info on paper?

Here is a chart I use :) Tracks temp, cervical fluid, cervical position, changes in routine etc.
http://epigee.org/f/pdf/bbtchart_f.pdf


How long have you been trying?

Thank you... you definitely helped me.
I just started actively trying this month, so I'm still learning and paying attention to my body. I just went off the pill in August.
I have been using my daily calendar to chart, but I will definitely use this chart you showed me. I will also look into that book, it looks great.
One more question since I saw it mentioned on this ovulation chart- my breasts felt very sore starting day 21 through day 24, now they are feeling a little better... Does this have any significance? What should I be noting in terms of breast soreness?
I normally don't get any soreness until 1 or 2 days before my period, and it's usually pretty minimal.

Well if you just recently came off the pill it will take your body some time to adjust your hormones levels on its own without the prescence of the pill. So expect some changes to your PMS (such as the breast soreness) and your actual cycle. It may not fall on the exact dates you were able to perdict while being on the pill. You may have some breakthrough bleedind (spotting) before your period, you may have different PMS symptoms, and you may have a longer or shorter cycle, just depending on how your body adjusts. Keep in mind, your body is used to having the pill to regulate your hormones and your cycle... now it is trying to do it on its own.
You should be regulated in a few months.

The breast soreness on the chart is just another was to track your fertility, as some women experience that before they ovulate... along with headaches, on the chart as well. Charting these things will help you tell the difference between these PMS symptoms and pregnancy symptoms as these symptoms are common to both.

I would suggest you to start taking a prenatal vitamin as well. If you haven't already, visit your doctor and let them know you are trying to get pregnant. They will do a pre-pregnancy work up and should include bloodwork to make sure your hormones are at the right levels to achieve pregnancy :)