Use your body temperature to determine when you ovulate each cycle.
Though doctors often rely on the conventional wisdom that a woman's menstrual cycle lasts, on average, 28 days, there are variations from woman to woman. According to Toni Weschler, MPH, a woman's cycle can last anywhere from 24 days to 36 days, with ovulation possibly occurring as late as cycle day 22. That's quite a difference for women who assume they ovulate around day 14 of their cycle. If you are trying to get pregnant but you aren't charting, you may be missing your fertile period entirely.
Instructions
1. Purchase a basal body thermometer. Avoid using a regular thermometer. These don't measure your body temperature to 100th of a degree like a basal thermometer does. You will get a more accurate reading with a basal thermometer. Buy one at your local drugstore, Target or Walmart.
2. Check your basal body temperature (the temperature of your body at rest) first thing every morning, starting from the first day of your cycle (the first day your period starts). Keep the thermometer by your bed so you can take your temperature before you even sit up. Set an alarm so you can remember to check your temperature at the same time each day, since your basal temperature can change throughout the morning.
3. Record your basal temperature on a chart each day. A paper chart may have come with your thermometer, or you can print one online. You can also set up a chart through websites such as FertilityFriend.com, which provide digital charts. Write your temperature down and record it when you get out of bed. If you use a paper chart, simply circle the correct temperature on that cycle day.
4. Connect your temperatures with a straight line (like connect the dots) if you are using a paper chart. A digital chart will do this for you. This is where you can look for patterns in your cycle.
5. Watch for a dip in body temperatures a week or two after your period has ended. This can signal that ovulation is going to occur soon, but be aware that not all women have this dip in temperature.
6. Look for a spike in your body temperature. This occurs the day after ovulation. Your temperature should stay elevated for the remainder of your cycle. Wait for three days of elevated temperatures and then record ovulation on the day before the spike occurred.
7. Monitor other fertility signs, such as cervical mucus, and record them on your chart as well. The closer you get to your fertile window (usually about three days prior to ovulation to about 12 hours after), the thinner your cervical mucus will become. Check for mucus that resembles egg whites. This is the most fertile, and you'll know ovulation is approaching.
8. Take a pregnancy test if your temperature stays elevated for 12 days after ovulation. Basal temperature will drop just before a new cycle begins. If the test is negative, test once a week until you get a positive or a new cycle begins. When a new cycle begins, start a new chart. If your period doesn't arrive for 60 days and you have only negative pregnancy tests, see your doctor.
Tags: body temperature, your body, cycle begins, paper chart, your basal, your body temperature, your cycle