infertility

Many women who go to the doctor to seek help getting pregnant are often told to “go home, take your temperature every day and call me in two months”.  Well… that’s not much help, now is it?  The Basal Body Temperature (BBT) isn’t hard to understand once you have someone explain it in plain English.  Some women today still use their BBTs as a way to prevent pregnancy!

In order to begin recording the temperatures, you must have a chart.  While some people find it easier to keep a chart handy beside the bed everyday, most of us with computer access tend to lean toward online charting software.  There are many websites which will offer you the ability to chart for free, however if you want to share your chart with other women who are trying to conceive, you may have to pay for that.  Two sites that I highly recommend are Ovusoft and Fertility Friend.  I believe that both sites will offer you a free trial period before you must purchase any software.

It is also recommended that you purchase a special basal thermometer.  These can be found in most drug stores, or you may order them online. In my opinion, any digital thermometer that shows temperatures in tenths of a degree will work just fine, but you should use whatever you feel comfortable with.  The most important thing to remember about your thermometer is that once you start a cycle using one, you shouldn’t switch thermometers mid-cycle.  Each thermometer may not be calibrated the same way and swapping could throw off your chart.

It is very important that you take your temperature at the same time every morning. This MUST be a resting temperature — no getting out of bed, no kisses to the hubby, no talking! The alarm rings and you grab the thermometer (this is why I always laid mine on top of the alarm clock so I’d have to feel it before I could turn off the alarm!!).  Once you have taken the temperature, you are free to do whatever you want to do at that point.  A digital thermometer will record the last temperature taken (read the package insert for details), so there is no need to record your temp right away.  Although most women choose to take their temperature orally, some women prefer vaginal temping.  The reason being that sometimes you might sleep with your mouth open and this could affect the temperature.  It’s completely up to the woman to decide how she will temp.  If you aren’t comfortable with the idea of temping vaginally, try it orally. In a month or so, if you see that your temps are all over the place, try switching to vaginal or rectal temps and see if that corrects the problem.

Once you’re up and out of bed, you can then record your temperature on your chart.  At first, it isn’t going to make much sense to you, but don’t worry.  The whole basis for temperature charting is to get an overall picture of your monthly cycles. One temperature does not tell a whole lot about anything, honestly.  A whole month’s worth of temperatures, though, is a completely different story.

If you want to learn more about basal body temps and charting, I strongly urge you to get a copy of Toni Weschler’s book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility and reviewing the websites I mentioned above.  Charting is simple once you get the hang of it — and it can tell you much more about your cycle than you ever thought possible!

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