Ovulation and Basal Body Temperature Tracking

One of the best ways to figure out what's happening with your menstrual cycle is to take your temperature (with an oral thermometer) at the same time each morning before you get out of bed and record this information on a temperature graph—a reading that is known as your basal body temperature (BBT) chart or resting temperature chart.

If you are ovulating normally, your temperature may dip slightly just prior to ovulation and then shoot upward once you have ovulated. Just bear in mind that this is not a reliable indication of impending ovulation. Not everyone experiences this dip and, even if you do experience it, by the time you've "dipped" and your temperature has rebounded, baby-making season has come and gone. Your temperature will typically range from 97.0 to 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit prior to ovulation, and from 97.6 to 98.6 after ovulation. If you are pregnant, your temperature will remain elevated for the next nine months. If you're not, it will start to drop either close to or on the day your period starts as the level of progesterone in your body drops.

You will probably want to include information on your chart about the days on which you had intercourse. A simple checkmark or circle on the appropriate day is all that is required.

Many women find it useful to include some other types of information on their BBT charts as well, such as any changes to their routines that might have influenced their temperature reading on a particular morning. Something as simple as having a cold or fever, drinking alcohol the night before, getting less than three consecutive hours of sleep before you take your temperature, taking your temperature at a significantly different time than usual or sleeping under an electric blanket if you don't usually do so can throw your readings out of whack.

Although BBT charts are a source of much useful information, they aren't a useful tool for everyone. Some women who are ovulating normally don't experience the classic temperature rise upon ovulation. Instead, their basal body temperature remains constant throughout their menstrual cycle. These women often have more luck monitoring the quantity and quality of their cervical mucus.