Family planning refers to the different practices that help individuals or couples avoid unwanted births, promote desired births, regulate the interval between births, or control the number of desired pregnancies.
There are many methods of family planning, among which are natural or by observation of fertility, where we can specifically observe the basal body temperature to know the fertile days of a woman.
The basal body temperature of a person is the degree of heat that it has when it is at rest, which, due to different hormones secreted by the body, is modified 1 to 2 days after ovulation of a woman by approximately 0.3-0.5 ° C and persists for approximately ten days. Knowing the above, the family planning method by temperature helps us predict the period of most extraordinary fertility in a woman, following the changes in body temperature during the menstrual cycle.
How is the basal body temperature method used?
A record of body temperature must be made every day before starting any activity of the day, so before getting up, the first thing to do is take the temperature with a thermometer. To have better results, the temperature should be taken every day at the same time for approximately six months.
How should I take the temperature?
The temperature must be before doing any activity, and it must be with a very accurate thermometer, such as any mercury thermometer, since the temperature changes are minimal. The temperature can be taken orally or anally, but it always has to be the same once the temperature measurement route is chosen. Keep in mind that changes in body temperature are minimal and gradual. Rarely, they change radically from one day to the next.
What situations can modify the basal body temperature?
The temperature can be modified by not having enough sleep, having drunk alcohol or smoked the night before, illnesses, stress, some medications, using an electric blanket, or having used more blankets than expected, so all these situations should be taken daily temperature log.
Is the temperature the same in all cycles?
No, month after month, the body’s hormones can also change the temperature pattern, so it is best to have a record of at least six months to predict the successive cycles.
Does this method only serve to avoid getting pregnant?
No, by having the record, it is possible to predict when ovulation will occur since the basal temperature is lower in the first half of the menstrual cycle and increases slightly from one to two days in this period of greater fertility, so that We can use knowledge in two ways, to avoid unwanted pregnancies or to increase the probability of getting pregnant.
Basal temperature can be used for contraception (to prevent pregnancy); Although there are much more effective options such as contraceptive methods, a condom must be used when having sexual intercourse, from the start of menstruation until four days after the increase in basal temperature.
To achieve pregnancy, it is essential to know that fertility increases around two days before and after the increase in temperature, so you should have sex on those days.
How do I measure my basal body temperature correctly?
How to measure your basal body temperature correctly:
Buy a suitable basal thermometer to two decimal places.
Measure your basal temperature every day immediately after you wake up and before you get up.
To do this, place the thermometer at the desired measurement location: vaginal, rectal, or oral.
Wait for the measurement signal at the end of the measurement so that your temperature is wholly measured.
Do not change the measuring location within a cycle.What do I need to measure my basal body temperature correctly?
To record your basal body temperature, you either need a basal thermometer or a cycle computer with an integrated measuring sensor.
A thermometer for basal body temperature is usually digital and has two decimal places. An analog version can also be used.
An ordinary clinical thermometer is not suitable, as only thermometers to two decimal places have the necessary accuracy in measuring the slight temperature fluctuations in the woman’s cycle.
You can either enter the measured values manually with a pen in a cycle sheet and evaluate them, or you can evaluate your cycle using a cycling app such as the cyclones mySense app or a contraceptive computer such as closet myWay.
cyclones mySense basal thermometer with an app – display sterile
Basal thermometer Bluetooth cyclones mySense
The cyclones mySense basal thermometer transmits the temperature values via Bluetooth to the associated cyclones mySense app. Measuring and evaluating the basal temperature is easy and convenient. Thanks to the latest measurement technology and the large probe tip, the digital thermometer has a short measurement time of only 30-60 seconds.
According to the rules of natural family planning, the regular measurement time is 3 minutes. The measuring time of 3 minutes comes from when temperature measuring devices were still filled with mercury as the measuring liquid. With the implementation of digital measurement, new measurement times resulted, which are often less than 3 minutes.
Our all-in-one device with integrated basal thermometer cyclones myWay also measures the temperature to two decimal places.
cyclones myWay computer
When do I measure my basal body temperature?
It would help if you considered the following for the perfect time to measure your basal temperature:
Take measurements while lying down right after you wake up.
Measure before you get physically active.
Get at least 5 hours of sleep.
Do not get up for the last hour before taking a measurement. 4
Measure at the same time if possible to determine a reliable temperature rise.To measure your basal temperature daily, cyclones mySense has a 4-hour measuring time window. This ensures that you receive comparable measured values.