Table of Contents
What is the purpose of basal body temperature?
Basal body temperature can be used as a way to predict fertility or as a part of a method of contraception, by helping you gauge the best days to have or avoid unprotected sex. Tracking your basal body temperature for either fertility or contraception is inexpensive and doesn’t have any side effects.
What is a woman’s normal basal temperature?
Before ovulation, a woman’s BBT averages between 97°F (36.1°C) and 97.5°F (36.4°C). After ovulation, it rises to 97.6°F (36.4°C) to 98.6°F (37°C). You can track your cycle by taking your BBT every morning.
What does the basal body temperature BBT chart tell you?
A BBT chart tracks fluctuations in your basal body temperature (BBT) that occur within your cycle over the course of several months. A slight increase in your BBT signals that you’ve ovulated. Over time, having that information mapped out on a chart can help you determine when you’re most likely to get pregnant.
What is the difference between basal temperature and body temperature?
Lesson Summary. Basal body temperature is the body’s at-rest temperature. It is the lowest temperature of the human body and ranges from 97.8-98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Basal body temperature differs from body temperature in when and where each is measured.
Where is the best place to take your basal body temperature?
You can use a special thermometer designed for basal body temperature, or a digital oral thermometer. You can take an oral, vaginal, or rectal reading. Just be sure to use the same method each time. Take your temperature as close to the same time every day as you can.
What is a BBT chart supposed to look like?
A person’s menstrual cycle consists of two phases (occurring before and after ovulation). A normal basal body temperature chart is biphasic, resembling a bird flying upward. It’ll show the dips in temperature before ovulation and before menstruation (when conception does not occur).
Can your temperature tell you if you are pregnant?
One of the signs of early pregnancy is a consistently high basal body temperature. Usually, in the menstrual cycle, temperature dips again right before we get our periods. However, in early pregnancy, temperature stays high.
What is early pregnancy temperature?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women never let their core body temperature rise above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit. (A pregnant woman’s body temperature is often already elevated around 0.4 degrees above the normal 98.6.)
Can you be pregnant even if your BBT is low?
While you’re more likely to see a one-day temperature drop if you’re pregnant, it’s not a definitive sign of being pregnant. You might see a small dip on your chart almost every month on the seventh or eighth day after you ovulate.
Where do you put a basal thermometer?
Put the thermometer in your mouth to take the reading. You can take your basal body temperature by putting it in your mouth in the same location every morning. Keep it in your mouth for several seconds to allow the thermometer to get an accurate reading.
What are the effects of an elevated basal body temperature?
An elevated basal body temperature may indicate different things for different people. For example, it could indicate an infection, which is often accompanied by inflammation and a general ill feeling. Hyperthyroidism is another cause, and patients with this condition often feel fatigued and restless and have trouble concentrating .
How do you check basal body temperature?
Take your temperature first thing in the morning before you get out of bed each day
How to increase basal body temp?
Research diets believed to increase basal body temperature. For example, you should be sure to drink plenty of fluids, cook with coconut oil, increase protein intake, and eat complex, high-fiber carbohydrates.
What does your basal temperature tell you?
Your basal temperature tells you when your ovulation was and whether you had it or not in the current cycle. If you aren’t pregnant, it even tells you when your menstruation will begin. Of course, if you got pregnant in the current cycle, it tells you!