Charting your basal body temperature

Basal body temperature is the temperature of your body at rest. Charting your temperatures, you can see patterns in your menstrual cycle and determine when you ovulate. Keep a chart beside your bed at night with your thermometer and pen ready. It is important that you take your temperature while your body is at rest. Rummaging around the house looking for your thermometer or pen may be the best way to get your temperature rising. Take your temperature after at least three hours of restful sleep, or try to get a good night's sleep before taking your temperature. If for some reason, you did not get a lot of sleep or you woke up frequently through the night, you should still take your temperature; just make a note of it on your chart. You should not get upset if you oversleep or forget to write a temperature down. The purpose of charting is to help you determine when you ovulate and to hopefully help you have a baby. If you forget to chart one day, just plot your temperatures anyway but make a note of what time you took your temperature, or if you skipped a day.

Eating or drinking can affect the temperature in your mouth if you are taking your temperature orally, so try to avoid eating or drinking. During the first part of a woman's menstrual cycle, basal body temperatures will be lower, and the first half of your menstrual cycle is called the follicular phase. Right before ovulation, you will have a slight drop in temperature followed by a sharp rise in basal temperature. Not all women will have a drop in temperature before ovulation, but if you do notice a temperature drop, start having intercourse then. Around the time you ovulate, you should see a rise in temperature. When you notice this, you have already ovulated. That is why charting works best when done for a few months constantly.

Another thing many charting women look for is signs of pregnancy, because when temperature remains high for eighteen days after ovulation, this could be an indication of pregnancy. If you have charted several cycles and have not achieved pregnancy or are concerned, you may consult your doctor. Bring your charts when you visit your doctor, as they will be helpful in determining if there are any problems.