The presence of ovulation largely determines female fertility (the ability to reproduce). A woman can become pregnant only within a few days within a month, or rather, during ovulation, which is why determining favorable days for conception is an important task for any woman, regardless of what goals she pursues - to conceive a child or prevent the onset of unwanted pregnancy ... One of the methods for determining ovulation is the basal thermometry method.
Definition
Basal temperature doctors and physiologists call the lowest body temperature, which is recorded only during a person's rest period, for example, during sleep. In a state of activity, BT (abbreviation for basal temperature) always rises. Doctors have long noticed that in women, a rise of several tenths of a degree occurs during ovulation, and this is what formed the basis of the method for determining fertile days.
The cyclical nature of the female body is due to powerful hormonal support. Thanks to progesterone and estrogens, prolactin and gonadotropic substances produced by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, women have monthly periods every month, ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle, which gives the fair sex the opportunity to conceive a child. The balance of these hormonal substances and its minor fluctuations do not go unnoticed by the body.
And if a woman objectively cannot feel these changes, then at the level of her basal (baseline) temperature, these processes will certainly be reflected.
Basal temperature shows the temperature of internal organs and is true. To fix it, measurements are made in those parts of the body that have communication with the cavity parts of the body, for example, in the rectum, in the mouth, in the vagina.
After the next menstruation, estrogen is actively produced in the body until the middle of the cycle. It is he who does not allow BT to rise to high values. With normal ovulation, when the oocyte leaves the follicle, and a corpus luteum forms at the site of the maturation of the egg, the ratio of hormonal forces in the body changes - the production of progesterone begins, which significantly increases the basal temperature.
Often, the temperature graph of a healthy woman, capable of conceiving and bearing, is compared with a poetic image - a bird whose wings are open, and the beak is the day of ovulation. After ovulation, the temperature remains elevated.
At the end of the cycle, if conception has not occurred, the corpus luteum ceases to exist, the level of progesterone decreases, the temperature decreases again, and menstruation begins. If pregnancy has occurred, fertilization has occurred, the temperature does not drop and remains at high values, because the level of progesterone, an important hormone for carrying a fetus, remains high.
Thus, the measurement of BT and a clear understanding of what it should be in a particular period of the female cycle helps a woman determine ovulation, monitor the state of her female health, and also find out (guess) about a possible pregnancy even before the tests show her.
Why is BT definition needed?
The ability to know the day of your ovulation opens up great opportunities for a woman. She can calculate the most favorable time for conceiving a child if the couple is planning a pregnancy. Usually one month of daily measurements is not enough for this, you need to carry out basal thermometry 3-4 cycles in a row, only then a woman will get a more detailed idea of the individual characteristics of her cycle.
Further observation of how the temperature rises will help to track the implantation of the embryo into the uterine wall, and guess about possible problems, for example, about the threat of miscarriage in case of progesterone deficiency.
Also, measuring basal temperature gives a woman the opportunity correctly plan contraceptive measures if the conception of a baby is not yet included in the family's plans. Of course, the temperature method is not a highly accurate and effective method of contraception, but in combination with others (for example, with a barrier method) it gives good results.
And finally, regular measurement of basal temperature will allow a woman to pay attention to the premenopausal period, to the absence of ovulation for a long time, to various inflammatory diseases, hormonal dysfunctions, etc. in a timely manner and to consult a doctor in time.
Among other things, the need to take correct measurements and enter data into charts on a daily basis disciplines a woman, teaches her to be more attentive to her own reproductive health.
How to measure?
Having dealt with the importance of such an indicator as basal temperature, it is worth explaining that only its correct measurement guarantees accurate results. There are several important rules that will allow you to measure BT accurately.
- Take measurements in one part of the body, do not change the location of the thermometer. If you decide to measure the temperature in the vagina, take all measurements only in this way, if you measure the temperature in the rectum, do not carry the thermometer into the vagina. If you want to measure the temperature in your mouth, please note that this requires a special thermometer.
- Take measurements every day at the same time (the permissible error interval is half an hour), immediately after waking up, without getting out of bed, without tossing and turning, since activity can increase BT levels without being tied to female reproductive processes. In the evening, make sure that the thermometer lies next to the bed so that you can easily reach it with your hand without getting up. Shake the thermometer in the evening so that it is completely ready for new use.
- Immerse the thermometer 2 to 3 centimeters, no deeper. During the measurement, lie still, do not be nervous, do not talk, do not toss and turn. The total thermometry time is from 5 minutes.
- The thermometer must be of high quality. It is best to choose a mercury thermometer, it is more accurate.
- For the first time, you need to measure the temperature on the first day of the next menstruation and then every day, without taking breaks for menstruation.
- The best time to measure is 5-7 a.m. If you are used to sleeping before lunch, wake up at this time, take measurements and go to bed again.
Important! To keep your measurements accurate and the graph correct, monitor the amount of sleep before measuring. For an adequate result, it is important to sleep for at least 6 hours before measuring continuously, without going to the toilet.
remember, that the accuracy of the results can suffer from a woman's travels, changes in climatic and time zones, physical exertion, and severe stress. Also, intercourse performed on the eve of the measurement can affect the result. If a woman suddenly falls ill, she has a high body temperature, then it is better to leave the measurements altogether until the next cycle, since about 10 days after recovery, the results of BT will not be objective.
Every day, enter the measurement result to the nearest tenth in the schedule. Only at the end of the cycle can you start decoding it, do not try to analyze intermediate results and draw any conclusions - more information is needed for this.
How to make it right?
To draw up a schedule, it is not at all necessary to start any special forms, you can use the most ordinary notebook sheet in a cage. You need to draw two lines on it, as was done in school in mathematics lessons - the abscissa axis (horizontal) and the ordinate axis (vertical). On the horizontal line, you will mark the days of the menstrual cycle (you can use dates, you can use the DMC - the day of the menstrual cycle, or you can do both at the same time). On the vertical line, make a markup, as on a thermometer - from 36.0 degrees to 38.5 degrees, not forgetting about tenths (36.1, 36.2, 36.3, 36.4, 36.5, 36.6 , 36.7 and further up to 38.5).
In the morning, after the measurement, put a point at the intersection of the day and the temperature obtained during the measurement. Gradually connect adjacent dots in series. You can leave room at the top of the graph for your explanations. If, for example, there was sex on the eve of the measurement, or you drank alcohol, mark this fact in the graph above the day on which you take the measurement.
You do not have to draw a piece of paper in a box, but use ready-made forms for maintaining BT charts, you can print templates from the Internet.
You can keep a graph online, many women's sites offer interactive services for keeping charts of basal temperature. If you choose this path, then still duplicate the indicators on paper, this will help the doctor decipher if you need to consult a gynecologist or reproductologist.
Analyzing the results
Before proceeding with the explanations of certain resulting graphs, it should be noted that there are several temperature curves that a woman can get.
- Curve of the first type - in the second phase of the menstrual cycle, the temperature increased by no more than 0.4 degrees. There was a decrease in temperature before ovulation, a similar decrease was noted before menstruation. The period of elevated temperature lasted from 12 to 14 days. This is a normal schedule, indicating that there was ovulation, it proceeded normally, there are no hormonal disturbances, a woman may well become a mother.
- Curve of the second type - in the second half of the menstrual cycle, there was an increase in temperature, but it was less pronounced (did not exceed 0.2-0.3 degrees). Such a woman has a certain hormonal deficiency associated with estrogen and progesterone deficiency.
- Curve of the third type - the second half of the cycle lasts less than 10 days, after which menstruation begins. The temperature rises only shortly before menstruation and there is no drop, typical for healthy women, before the onset of menstrual bleeding. Such a schedule is a reason to visit a doctor and find out the reasons why the second phase is considered insufficient.
- Curve of the fourth type is monotonic (there are no significant changes throughout the female cycle at all). Such a graph suggests that there was no ovulation, the cycle was anovulatory.
- Fifth type curve - a chaotic chart with large swings, increases and decreases in BT. The graph is difficult to attribute to types 1,2,3 and 4, it is unlike any of them. There are several options - either the woman measured her temperature incorrectly, or she has a severe hormonal imbalance, or additional factors influenced her. You need to take other measurements and visit a doctor.
Some situations should be analyzed in more detail with explanations.
Full cycle rate
The first three days of the menstrual cycle, a woman has a temperature of about 37.0 degrees. This is normal, because there is a process of endometrial rejection, on the 5-6th day of the cycle, when the menstruation ends, the temperature drops to 36.4-36.7 degrees.
The longer the cycle, the longer the low temperature period of the first phase. With a 28-day cycle, the phase can last a week, and with a cycle of 32 days - 1.5 weeks and a half. All this time, BT is at the level of 36.4-36.6 (rarely up to 36.8 degrees). At the same time, you should not worry about the fact that it is different every day: minor fluctuations are the norm.
2 days before ovulation, the temperature drops by 0.1-0.2 degrees, the day before ovulation, the decrease is up to 0.6 degrees, and therefore a sharp rise in BT begins. At the time of the release of the egg, the temperature can range from 36.7 to 37.0 degrees.
If conception has occurred, then after ovulation the temperature remains high or gradually rises slowly and slowly rises. After about a week, implantation sinking is observed, the temperature decreases for a day, and then rises again. Often women describe this phenomenon, according to reviews, as an ovulation rise in BT with a return.
If there is no pregnancy, BT decreases gradually.
What does the high temperature in the first phase mean?
If already in the first days after the completed menstruation in women such values as 37.0, 37.2 and more appear on the graph, it should be understood that the level of estrogen in the body is not enough, and therefore BT increases. As a rule, such a beginning of the cycle does not bode well for its successful completion, and in most cases this is a classic example of a graph in the absence of ovulation.
The second phase of such a cycle does not visually differ much from the first one, and rather sharp temperature changes are possible in it. There is no question of any smoothness, gradual growth. Conception in such a cycle is either impossible or extremely unlikely. A woman may feel hot flashes, headaches, arrhythmias, and excessive sweating.
It is imperative to visit a doctor and start receiving hormonal treatment.
Temperature does not rise after ovulation
No rise in temperature after ovulation is complete says about a deficiency in the body of progesterone. For this reason, hormonal infertility often develops, as well as chronic miscarriage, since a small amount of progesterone does not guarantee the safety of the embryo. The poor functioning of the corpus luteum is indicated by an earlier decrease in temperature in the second phase of the female cycle (from 2 to 10 days after ovulation, while BT decreases significantly).
No ovulation
Unfortunately, the older a woman becomes, the more often she will do such charts in which there is no decrease in BT, characteristic of ovulation, and there is no growth after the expected day of release of the egg from the follicle. The ovarian reserve is depleted, and this is the reason for the age-related decline in female fertility. In cycles without ovulation, a woman cannot get pregnant.
Double ovulation
This is a very interesting phenomenon that does not happen very often. With it, not one, but two eggs mature, and one comes out earlier than the other. With double ovulation, the graph will show two ovulatory "beaks" and two subsequent rises. At the same time, on the graph with two ovulations, the first one looks brighter than the second, which occurs already against the background of increased progesterone.
But keep in mind that spontaneous ups on the chart can speak not only of ovulation or pregnancy, but also of the onset of the inflammatory process in the female body.
Can graphs be wrong?
The temperature method is recommended both for those planning pregnancy and for those who would like to avoid it, as an auxiliary, and not the main one, since errors in measuring BT can be significant. With early ovulation or late ovulation, the limits of the fertile window are shifted, and therefore it is possible that it will be difficult to conceive a baby or, conversely, a woman will become pregnant unplanned.
For planning pregnancy it is recommended to combine the method of basal thermometry with the cervical symptomatic method, with ovulation tests. If the main task is contraception, it is recommended the systematic use of contraceptives without reference to the basal temperature or the state of the cervix on this or that day of the menstrual cycle.
Important! If you are taking oral hormonal contraceptives, you do not need to measure BT, since the results will not be reliable - the drugs suppress ovulation, it does not occur, so all schedules will be anovulatory.
If you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance according to the "dancing" BT schedule or too flat schedule without ups and downs, then keep in mind that the exact reason will be determined only by a doctor who will prescribe blood tests for a hormonal profile, ultrasound of the pelvic organs, and in some cases, ovarian fluorography.
For basal temperature during ovulation, see the following video.
