Basal Body Temperature During Pregnancy

Women who are trying to get pregnant will go to any lengths to detect their pregnancy at its earliest. Understandably, the two week long duration after ovulation and until your next period tests your patience. So, it is but obvious that you want to find out about your pregnancy even before you miss your period. Among the many techniques of detecting a possible pregnancy at its earliest, keeping track of basal body temperature (BBT) is the most unreliable one.

Average Basal Body Temperature During Pregnancy

If you have ever taken infertility treatment, you might be aware of charting basal body temperature as a means to detect ovulation. Women who are trying to get pregnant chart their BBT in order to detect their ovulation phase. In a normal menstrual cycle of 28 days, ovulation occurs on the 13th or 14th day. Since, most women have menstrual cycles in varying lengths, their ovulation time also differs significantly. As a result, it is important to keep track of ovulation so as to have unprotected sex during this period and elevate your chances of pregnancy in that cycle. Considering your average body temperature is somewhere between 96.0 and 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit, you can expect it to go up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit during ovulation. However, every woman is different, hence you may get a unique graph when you plot the temperature. Monitoring your average BBT over a span of three months gives you a roughly fair idea of your fertile window.

Basal body temperature charting is done from the first day of your period. You will notice a surge in temperature on 13th to 14th day. This mid-cycle surge in temperature indicates ovulation. Normally, the temperature drops in the luteal phase of the cycle. However, if you are pregnant, the temperature remains elevated throughout the cycle. Moreover, you may also notice a temperature dip 7 to 10 days post ovulation. This is called implantation dip and it further ascertains the possibility of a pregnancy. However, basal body temperature rise is not considered as a very strong sign of pregnancy, because the fluctuation in temperature is not significant (about 0.4 degrees). Moreover, the temperature rise may be due to any other physical or environmental cause. Nonetheless, it is a good practice to chart your BBT if you are trying to get pregnant.

Basal Body Temperature and Progress of Pregnancy

A BBT chart shows your fertile window, which enhances your chances of conception. If you notice a surge in temperature for the next 18 days (or the day until your missed period) you can certainly keep your hopes high, especially if it has never happened before. You can take a pregnancy test around this time. Even if it has been confirmed that you are pregnant you can still continue with the practice, if you wish. You can thus keep a track on development of your fetus. Although low basal body temperature during pregnancy need not be a cause of concern, a sudden unexplained dip in temperature may indicate an onset of miscarriage. If the drop continues for more than two days, you should consult a doctor. If the drop is followed by a period (either normal or heavy), then you can be certain you have had a miscarriage. On the other hand, a rise in BBT beyond 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit should also be reported to the doctor.

Thus, basal body temperature during pregnancy can be an effective tool in determining ovulation, sometimes confirming pregnancy, and monitoring early development of a fetus.