However, this morn the temperature reading was 97.9, and I was feeling particularly cold yesterday -- which is in keeping with the information I had come across that estrogen counteracts thyroid hormone and doses need to be increased during the period (or if eating soy products, which estrogenic properties have the same affect on thyroid and the body as real estrogen). Before leaving for Cancun I had been seeing perfect 98.4 for a few morning readouts -- which is what the resting temperature is supposed to be -- but now it's back down during my period so I'm upping the dose.
Last night I had gotten a digital thermometer also -- and (with the tip cover) for the most accurate reading I tried the rectal method -- which gave me 1 degree less than what is normal by that method. The mouth was 2-3 degrees below normal, so I've decided to just forget the mouth method -- my mouth is clearly unreliable.
One thing I will have to do is a comparison between the 10-minute underarm mercury thermometer accuracy vs. the rectal digital reading. and while I'm add it, what the heck -- why not use a cover for the mercury and try rectal reading that way too -- to know once and for all the mysterious differences between digital and merc.