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Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
The overall goal of charting your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) is to find out if and when you are ovulating. BBT is the temperature of your body at rest. A special BBT thermometer, the most precise thermometer available, can record your temperature to the tenth degree. To determine your BBT you must take your temperature first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed, eat, drink or go the bathroom. This will yield the most accurate results.
Why is My BBT Important?
BBT is one of the easiest (and cheapest!) ways to determine whether or not you are ovulating, as well as track your ovulation patterns over the course of several months. By taking your BBT everyday and charting the results, you will notice patterns in your menstrual cycle and hopefully determine when you ovulate.
What you are looking for is your body's temperature soon after ovulation occurs. You BBT should be lower before ovulation (also called the follicular phase) and slightly higher (by at least 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) after ovulation (also called the luteal phase). If this shift between the phases is recorded, you have ovulated. This temperature should remain elevated for about 14 days.
What Does My BBT Tell Me?
If you see a definite increase in your BBT each month, that indicates that you are ovulating and it will help you time intercourse in order to maximize your chances for getting pregnant. You can also use your BBT to tell you whether or not your luteal phase is long enough to sustain a pregnancy. To have an adequate luteal phase, your temperature should stay elevated for at least 12 days after ovulation.
Comments
I personally like using my
I personally like using my hands to check my cervical mucus each month to see if I am ovulating. It's so much easier. :)
Checking cervical mucous is
Checking cervical mucous is great, and it gives you a lot of health information, but it does *not* tell you if you've actually ovulated. It tells you that your estrogen is up and activating your cervix, and that your body is preparing to ovulate, and that you are very *likely* to ovulate. Many things can block that from happening however, without interfering with the cervical fluid.
I have PCOS. I use an
I have PCOS. I use an ovulation kit to check when I'm ovulating. However, I read somewhere that although the kit and my body may show high levels of LH surge, I may not actually be ovulating. Is there another method that indicates that I'm actually ovulating rather than just showing symptoms of ovulation?
I just started keeping
I just started keeping track of this. It's really interesting!
Karen
www.yourcervicalmucus.com
I tried using the ovulation
I tried using the ovulation sticks but it never said I was ovulating. I just want to get pregnant. What should I do.
getting pregnsnt without ovulating
Christina, if you're not ovulating, you need to go to a doctor of fertility to get help.