When I decided to try for my second baby, I went all in. I bought a special thermometer. I downloaded three apps. I woke up at 6:15 AM every day, took my temperature before moving, before talking, before even breathing deeply. I logged every number. I analyzed every dip and rise.
Six months. Nothing.
I was obsessed. I'd wake up anxious. My first thought wasn't "good morning" — it was "what's my temperature?" I'd show my husband the charts and ask, "Do you think I ovulated on day 16 or day 17?" He had no idea what I was talking about.
At month six, I threw the thermometer in a drawer and said, "I'm done."
I got pregnant the next cycle.
Was it the stopping tracking? Or was it just statistical luck? I'll never know. But I know I was less stressed. I know we had sex because we wanted to, not because an app told us to. I know I stopped waking up at 6:15 AM to take my temperature, which meant I slept better.
I'm not anti-tracking. For people with irregular cycles or known fertility issues, BBT can provide useful data. But for the average person trying to conceive, the stress of tracking can backfire. A 2023 study found that high stress is associated with longer time to conception. Not because stress causes infertility — but because stress can delay ovulation or reduce libido.
My advice to friends now is: try without tracking for three months. Have sex every 2-3 days throughout your cycle. If you're not pregnant by then, and you want more data, add OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) before BBT. OPKs tell you when ovulation is coming, not after it happened. That's more useful.
If you're deep in tracking and feeling anxious, give yourself permission to stop for a month. Nothing bad will happen. You might even get pregnant. And if you don't, you'll have a month of better sleep and less stress. That's not nothing.
This article reflects personal experience. If you've been trying for over a year (or 6 months if over 35), see a specialist regardless of tracking.
— Emily