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Understanding Basal Body Temperature

Basal body temperature or BBT is the measure of a person’s body temperature at the point of waking up and before any type of physical activity has been taken up. This is usually taken up in women as a gauge for fertility. It can help determine when the ovulation has taken place. In women, ovulation can cause an increase of one half to one degree Fahrenheit in basal body temperature. This fluctuation or difference, if monitored for a certain period of time, can help women in trying to estimate the day of ovulation and plan the best time for conception.

Charting the basal body temperature is just one way of trying to monitor a woman’s fertility period. Women have a tendency to experience lower temperatures before ovulation and higher temperatures after. This tendency is known as a biphasic pattern. This pattern is known to be caused by the changes in the hormone levels in women before, during and after ovulation.

There are also other factors that may cause certain variations in a woman’s basal body temperature. Sleep may affect a woman’s body temperature. The body is only able to reach its basal body temperature if one has rested or slept for four hours or more. Disturbances in sleep are known to offer a slight variance in the body reaching its BBT. In order to get the body’s BBT, bear in mind that the body should at least get four hours of sleep.

Alcohol consumption is also another factor that might affect one’s BBT. If a woman has drunk alcohol the previous night, she might experience a higher basal body temperature which can be mistaken for the mid-cycle rise that happens during menstruation. If one is in the process of charting her BBT for several days, one might be better off in avoiding alcohol consumption to prevent getting some confusing temperature readings.

Aside from sleep and alcohol consumption, other factors that may affect BBT readings include stress, anxiety, certain infections and illnesses. Such conditions may also cause the body’s basal body temperature to temporarily rise. Some types of drugs may also cause the body’s BBT to rise up. Another factor that might affect BBT readings is jet lag which can have an effect on the body’s temperature cycle for the whole day.
Such factors should be considered if one is too make sure that accurate patterns of BBT that correspond to a woman’s fertility cycle is charted. A sudden rise in BBT should not necessarily mean changes occurring in the body brought about by ovulation. Women should have an idea of such factors in order to better assess if that rise in their BBT in the morning may have a role in their fertility cycle or just an effect of other factors such as those mentioned above.

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Information
For the male species, the basal body temperature is not too much of a concern. However, for those who have their monthly visitor disturb them regularly (and some irregularly), measuring their BBT or basal body temperature is one of the surefire ways to determine ovulation.

When a woman ovulates, their basal body temperature increases to one-half to a full degree in Fahrenheit and one-quarter to one-half degree Celsius. This is because women are inclined to have lower temperatures just before ovulation and higher temperatures afterwards. This is known as a biphasic pattern.

In this article, we provide you with some basic questions that people ask about BBT. If this is the first time that you’re reading about basal body temperature, then sit back and read along to learn about this unique way to measure your ovulation period.

Question: What does the BBT chart tell me?
This chart tells you if you are ovulating and will be able to help you time intercourse. If you observe a definite biphasic chart, this is a good sign as it will give you clear signals on the rise and dips of your basal body temperature.

Question: How long does my temperature stay up after I ovulate?
The ovulation period essentially stays up after 14 days. There are doctors who say that anything over 10 days is quite conventional however it makes sense to test for one’s luteal phase defect if one shows a temperature spike for 12 days. Most doctors would want to observe around two cycles of low progesterone or out of phase biopsies before they conclude that a person’s luteal phase before making a diagnosis.

Question: My temperature went down for a day in the luteal phase. Does this mean that the cycle is a bust?
You need not be concerned if it changes after that. If it stays down, then that could be a definite cycle bust but typically, people have a short drop that may go a bit below the coverline that is an overflow of secondary estrogen accompanied with some mucus.

Question: How long should I continue using a BBT chart before I decide to see a doctor when I suspect infertility?
This is a very good question. If you notice that your cycles are a bit irregular, you should not waste any time on BBTs alone. Go out and schedule an appointment with your doctor so you could get to the root of the problem.

Question: What are average BBTs for women?
The average values for a woman’s BBT is essentially between 97.0-97.7 before ovulation and 97.7-99.0 after ovulation. It is quite predictable that a woman’s temperature shall never bounce around more than 0.5 degrees in the follicular phase and it will definitely remain constant above the coverline during the luteal phase.

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