{"id":39904,"date":"2022-05-27T13:35:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T20:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/avaworld\/?p=39904"},"modified":"2022-05-27T13:35:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T20:35:06","slug":"how-to-track-basal-body-temperature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.avawomen.com\/avaworld\/how-to-track-basal-body-temperature\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Track Basal Body Temperature: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tracking basal body temperature is a popular and accessible method for pinpointing the timing of ovulation. In this post, we’ll explain how to track basal body temperature (BBT), share the pros and cons, the research on how accurate it is, and compare it to other methods of fertility tracking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Table of contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. What is basal body temperature?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Why to track basal body temperature <\/a><\/li>\n
  3. How to track basal body temperature
    \n<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Are wearable fertility trackers accurate? <\/a><\/li>\n
  5. How accurate is the BBT method? <\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Benefits and disadvantages of BBT tracking <\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Interpreting your BBT chart <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/h2>\n

    What is basal body temperature?<\/h2>\n

    Body temperature follows a circadian rhythm over the course of a day. It’s highest in the early evening and lowest in the early morning around 4am<\/a>. The lowest point your body reaches over a 24 hour period is called basal body temperature (BBT).<\/p>\n

    In women with ovulatory menstrual cycles, the circadian temperature pattern is layered atop a menstrual temperature pattern. BBT is lower during the pre-ovulatory follicular phase, and higher during the post-ovulatory luteal phase. In other words, BBT exhibits a biphasic pattern around ovulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The reason for this change is that after ovulation, progesterone is released into the bloodstream, which causes BBT to increase slightly (0.5 \u2013 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit). BBT remains elevated until progesterone levels fall and the next menstrual cycle begins (this can happen just before menstruation or several days into bleeding). In the case of pregnancy, progesterone levels and BBT remain elevated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Why to track basal body temperature<\/h2>\n

    Charting your BBT, whether on paper or with a fertility tracking app, can help you estimate when ovulation occurs in your menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n

    Knowing when you ovulate isn’t the same thing as knowing when you’re fertile. The fertile window is the five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Your BBT chart typically doesn’t indicate ovulation until several days after the fact, when your fertile window is already closed for the month.<\/p>\n

    Even though BBT can’t alert you to the opening of your fertile window, it’s still useful for the following reasons:<\/p>\n