Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
What you can expect
By Mayo Clinic staffTo use the basal body temperature method:
- Take your basal body temperature every morning before getting out of bed. Use a digital oral thermometer or one specifically designed to measure basal body temperature. Make sure you get at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to ensure an accurate reading. You may consider taking your temperature vaginally or rectally if you have trouble determining a pattern or change in your basal body temperature. For the most accurate results, always take your temperature using the same method.
- Plot your temperature readings on graph paper. Record your daily basal body temperature and look for a pattern to emerge. Your basal body temperature may increase slightly — typically less than 1 degree — when you ovulate. You can assume ovulation has occurred when the slightly higher temperature remains steady for three days or more.
- Plan sex carefully during fertile days. You're most fertile during the two to three days before your basal body temperature rises, but sperm can live for up to five days in your reproductive tract. If you're hoping to get pregnant, this is the time to have sex. If you're hoping to avoid pregnancy, unprotected sex is off-limits from the start of your menstrual period until three to four days after your basal body temperature rises — every month.
References
- Jennings V. Fertility awareness-based methods of pregnancy prevention. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 30, 2011.
- Pallone SR, et al. Fertility awareness-based methods: Another option for family planning. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2009;22:147.
- Fertility awareness methods (FAM). In: Zieman M, et al. A Pocket Guide to Managing Contraception. Tiger, Ga.: Bridging the Gap Communications; 2010:52
- Barron ML, et al. Basal body temperature assessment: Is it useful to couples seeking pregnancy? The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 2005;30:290.
- Hatcher RA, et al. Contraceptive Technology. 19th ed. New York, N.Y.: Ardent Media Inc.; 2007:346.
Find Mayo Clinic on