Female Home Fertility Tests – Basal Body Temperature Test

In addition to other female home fertility tests, including ovulation predictor tests and cervical mucus tests, a basal body temperature (BBT) test can be a helpful tool in determining the causes of female fertility problems. This is because the basal body temperature method helps to establish when ovulation occurs.

Basal Body Temperature Test Method

Your basal body temperature is the temperature a woman has when she first wakes up in the morning. Testing your basal body temperature is important to female fertility testing because it helps to predict ovulation. This is because women have a particular range of basal body temperature during ovulation.

As such, taking your basal body temperature can help you predict ovulation, which is the time when a woman’s fertility peaks. Planning intercourse during ovulation can therefore help to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

How Does Charting Basal Body Temperature Work?
Two to three days prior to the onset of ovulation, a woman’s normal basal body temperature increases due to hormonal changes that occur during this stage of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Just before ovulation, BBT levels increase from between 0.5 degrees to 1.6 degrees; this increase in basal body temperature continues to stay elevated until a woman begins to menstruate. If pregnancy occurs, BBT levels remain elevated throughout the pregnancy

On average, a woman’s basal body temperature is from between 97.2 to 97.7 degrees prior to ovulation; however, it is normal for women to experience similarly elevated basal body temperatures on other days during their cycle. However, these increases are generally short term and therefore do not usually signal ovulation.

How Do I Use the Basal Body Temperature Test Method?
For this at home female fertility test, you use a simple thermometer in order to chart your BBT. It is helpful to chart your BBT for a period of a few months so that you can determine your individual BBT cycle and patterns within the cycle.

First, you should purchase a BBT thermometer at your local pharmacy or find an online basal body temperature thermometer. Most thermometers come with their own temperature plotting charts so that you may conveniently record your temperature results.

Remember that it is imperative to take your basal body temperature as soon as you wake up, that is, even before getting out of bed. If you take your BBT after this, your BBT testing results will not be accurate. Other conditions that can affect your BBT include illness.