Experiences with Basal Body Temperature Testing

Hello Kirsty. I temp. At first I thought it would be difficult but once you get started it becomes habit. Essentially, you need a special thermometer. Amazon do one and it’s by babyMad mine was like £4. Also make sure it is right next to your bed like on a bedside table ready for the morning. If you are up/disturbed in the night you may not want to record the temp as it’ll be an anomaly. Also drinking affects temping. You must take your temperature at the same time every morning give or take 15 mins either side or so including weekends otherwise it could throw out your results. You then need to log your temp in an app. I use Ovia. After a few cycles you should hopefully see a patten, temps before Ov are low and then after Ov they rise and stay high until a few days before your period and then drops down again. If it stays high for a lot 16 days after Ov hopefully it’s a positive pregnancy test. The last day of the low temps tend to be the day you Ov. Though the temp must be sustained for 3 consecutive days.

I keep mine by my phone (which is my alarm!) so I reach for it automatically now! I’ve found it useful to see how my body changes, it can be reassuring!

We didn’t think we’d get pregnant when I was tracking my temperature but after just one month of taking it everyday I had a positive test 🙂 I used the app glow

I was using the Femometer app with the thermometer but now I use Natural Cycles. The last 2 months of using it it has been so accurate. I also use Clearblue Digital Ovulation sticks and I feel so much more positive that after 8 months of trying we will finally get somewhere in the next few months.

I have PCOS and have tried to track bbt with a thermometer but could just never manage to do it at the right time each morning and my results were all over the shop 🙈

we invested in the ovusense sensor and I find that so much more helpful (although a lot pricier!!) - it’s a vaginal sensor that you insert like a tampon and wear overnight, and it takes your temp for you. You then download the data each morning and it creates a temp chart for you. This has been so incredibly helpful this cycle for me because I got a positive opk but no temp rise on CD19, then another positive a week later which came with a sustained temp rise (confirming ovulation); without doing my temps I’d have assumed I ovulated the week before and probably would have missed my fertile window entirely 😂

I find it’s pretty reliable to detect ovulation, and would recommend it for anyone dealing with erratic period patterns! Good luck 🙏

Hi! I’ve been taking my BBT for a year now. I must admit, I found it stressful at the start - it affected my sleep patterns as I was so worried I’d miss the time to take my temperature. But once it became a habit (and I stopped stressing about getting it right everyday), it was great for helping me pinpoint when I actually ovulated! Give it a go, and if it’s stressing you out, just give yourself a break. I’ve heard the ovusense is good :)