Knowing when ovulation occurs is key to improving a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. Basal body temperature (BBT) is a good indicator of ovulation, and tracking it daily for a few cycles can help determine the most consistent and probable day for ovulation. BBT can be combined with other tools, such as cervical mucus changes and ovulation predictor kits, to accurately predict the most fertile days.
Pregnancy is more likely to be achieved by having intercourse just before the time of ovulation, or the point in a woman’s cycle when the egg is released. Knowing exactly when ovulation occurs, so that intercourse can be optimally timed, will improve a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. Basal body temperature (BBT) is a woman’s baseline body temperature during her menstrual cycle. An increase in BBT is a good indicator of ovulation, because this increase in temperature is directly associated with the onset of ovulation, meaning that BBT and ovulation prediction go hand in hand.
You must understand the female reproductive cycle to use BBT and ovulation prediction. A woman’s reproductive cycle usually ranges from 28 to 32 days. It begins on the first day of your period, the five to seven day period in which the lining of the uterus is released, and ends on the first day of your next period. Cycle events are mainly controlled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen works to nourish and improve the lining of the uterus during the early part of the cycle and keeps the BBT low relative to the end of the cycle.
During the second part of the cycle, progesterone is released. This hormone prepares the uterus to receive the egg and also causes the basal body temperature to rise in preparation for the egg. This rise in temperature coincides with ovulation, making it key to using BBT and ovulation prediction to improve your chances of pregnancy.
The best time to try to get pregnant is two to three days before ovulation. An increase in basal body temperature predicts when ovulation has occurred, so the most fertile days have already passed when the increase in BBT is observed. It is therefore necessary to track or record BBT daily for a few cycles to determine the most consistent and probable day for ovulation and from there predict the most probable fertile days for the next cycle.
To observe the change in BBT and calculate ovulation, it is best to record temperatures on a chart, or ovulation calendar, for each day of your entire cycle. Several websites provide printable BBT charts or provide online charts. A BBT thermometer is necessary because it can measure temperature changes as small as 0.1 degrees. To increase accuracy, the BBT reading should be taken at the same time each day. The morning, before getting out of bed, is the best time to record the temperature because it is not artificially raised by movement; the reading can be done orally, rectally or vaginally but, for consistency, it must always be done in the same way.
The first temperature reading for an ovulation calendar should be taken on the first day of your period, considered day 1 of a cycle. The temperature should then be taken every morning until the first day of the next menstruation. Typically somewhere between day 10 and day 14, a small decrease in temperature can be observed, followed by a temperature peak of between 0.2 and 0.6 degrees. The day of this peak is the day of ovulation. The decrease in BBT should not be confused with ovulation, and not all women experience a decrease in temperature.
In some women, basal body temperature remains constant and then increases during ovulation, without being preceded by a decrease in BBT. If the BBT increase was seen on day 13, then the most fertile days for that cycle were days 10 or 11 through day 13. Ovulation is fairly consistent, so the assumption should be that, in the next cycle , these same days will be the most fertile days. If the BBT remains elevated and the next menstrual period does not start, pregnancy may have been achieved.
BBT and Ovulation Prediction can be combined with other tools, Cervical Mucus Changes and Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPK), to further ensure your most fertile days have been accurately predicted. Cervical mucus changes during the reproductive cycle and can be tracked on the ovulation calendar along with the BBT. During the first part of the menstrual cycle, the amount of cervical mucus is small and the consistency of the mucus is thick. Closer to ovulation, on the most fertile days, the mucus will increase in volume and thin and become stretchy.
Ovulation prediction kits are useful tools to pair with your BBT and cervical mucus charts. These kits test urine for the presence of luteinizing hormone, which rises just before ovulation. Once you have completed a few ovulation calendars and determined the typical day for ovulation, an OPK can be used to ensure that, indeed, your most fertile days have been accurately predicted.
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