I've heard conflicting things about charting during your period. Should I be trying to get as many morning temps as possible, including ones during AF? Or is it pointless to chart during AF?
I personally do chart during AF... but it is only because I am afraid to break the habit. It's just like how they put those sugar pills in birth control for the week of your period. You don't need to take them, but for some women it is helpful to just continue with the routine so they don't forget.
For many women, BBTs during AF are all over the place. For me, I have some cycles were the AF temps are high, some cycles were it drops just prior to and and stays low throughout AF. Seeing high temps during AF can be confusing to some charters who then conclude that they may be pregnant afterall. As long as you understand that temps taken during AF can be high OR low without it meaning you are pregnant, then go ahead and temp through AF to keep the routine in place.
If, on the other hand, have a few days break from your thermometer will make you feel less crazy... then by all means wait until AF is over before you start temping each cycle. You should still have plenty of good temp days before you ovulate to establish your pre-O baseline, and therefore be able to see the shift.
(Sidenote: Only the very very rare woman with a very long AF and early O could have trouble charting if she skips the AF portion of her cycle... but due to wacky AF hormones that impact BBT, this same woman may have a hard time picking up her ovulation pattern anyway.)
