Chart your cycle with a
Basal Body Thermometer - BBT
A BBT, or Basal Body Thermometer is a very handy tool for you to have if you are trying to track when you are most fertile. Infact, I would recommend it as one of the very first things you start doing immediately if you wish to become pregnant quicker, or are having trouble conceiving!
If I didn't monitor my fertility levels with a BBT, it would have taken my doctor further time and further testing to see what my underlying fertility problem might have been, which would have meant a repeat visit to the doctors, and a longer wait time to find out what my results were - something you don't want to experience when time is precious and you are already feeling anxious enough!
See, once I had been trying for 6 months, I went to my doctor and brought with me my charting that I had religiously done for the previous 3 months - charting is something that is easy, and it is something you will learn to do when you using this type of thermometer.
Because of my charting, my doctor was able to see with one glance what the problem was - 'uh-huh!', she said, 'your progesterone levels aren't elevating or staying high enough for what they should be doing, you can't become pregnant if you don't have the right levels!'
So thanks to my little thermometer I discovered something wasn't right, and set about working on how to boost my progesterone levels.
Go With Your Own Instincts -
Don't Be Afraid To Try It!
I'm glad I didn't listen to them and persisted with the things I felt would help improve my chances, because call it instinct, but I felt like something wasn't right.
Because of my instinct and persistence with tools like a Basal Body Thermometer, I have now learnt some invaluable information about my body, and without this information, I would still have been trying with the odds of conception stacked very high against me!
So what are you looking for when you are using a BBT?
When you are using a basal body themometer, you are looking to see that you have a rise in temperature at ovulation.
You are looking to see if your temperature remains elevated for the 2nd half of your cycle, that is the luteal phase.
Using this type of thermometer will allow you to accurately see your temperatures on a daily basis down to 0.01 of a degree.
It is necessary to have this depth of measuring because when you are determining your day of ovulation
(which is when you are at your most fertile) there will usually only be
a slight rise of about 0.3c, and a standard thermometer can't tell you
this.
Using this type of thermometer will allow you to accurately see your temperatures on a daily basis down to 0.01 of a degree.
Check out this short video about Body Basal Thermometer Charting:
A BBT might also reveal to you if you are having problems with ovulation. Some women don't ovulate every month, and some have trouble ovulating. Perhaps you are in this category? It may pay you to investigate!
Normally your best chances of becoming pregnant are a few days leading up to ovulation, and including the day of ovulation.
When you use your basal body thermometer it is important to use it at the same time each day. It's also best to take your temperature immediately upon waking – before you go to the toilet, and before you even get out of bed. That's because you need to monitor your resting temperature.
It's also best if you've had atleast 3 hours sleep before recording your temperature. You can usually record your temperature orally (in your mouth), or by inserting in your vagina, it's up to you which way you decide is best for you. If you are having trouble conceiving, I recommend investing in a Basal Body Thermometer now.
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