Body temperature changes before and after ovulation

Women's body temperature changes during ovulation. Generally, it is most accurate to measure the body temperature 5 minutes after waking up. The body temperature during ovulation is basically 36.6 degrees. This temperature is most effective for the secretion of progesterone, etc. Therefore, female friends who want to conceive at this stage can measure their body temperature changes to determine the ovulation period. Let’s take a look at the changes in body temperature during ovulation.

1. Changes in basal body temperature before and after ovulation

When the human body is in a state of complete rest, free from mental or all objective interference, the measured body temperature is called basal body temperature. The basal body temperature is measured at 6-7 am when you wake up but have not yet gotten up to move around. It can more accurately reflect the ovarian ovulation function and corresponding endocrine changes. Therefore, it is a simple and effective means of self-monitoring to determine ovulation. What changes occur in basal body temperature during the menstrual cycle?

Before ovulation is the ovulation period, the ovaries secrete estrogen, and the basal body temperature is mostly passively below 36.6℃. After ovulation, a corpus luteum is formed in the ovary, which secretes progesterone. Progesterone has a thermogenic effect on the central nervous system, raising the basal body temperature by 0.3-0.5℃. The temperature increase continues until 1-2 days before the onset of menstruation and then begins to decline. In this way, the changes in basal body temperature during an ovulatory menstrual cycle present a biphasic curve. Then non-ovulation may occur 2-3 days before or after the body temperature drops, that is, it may occur at any time when the body temperature starts to drop, reaches the lowest point or starts to rise. It is inferred that the date with the lowest body temperature may be the date closest to ovulation. On the 4th day when the high temperature occurs, ovulation must have occurred and the egg has died. It is safe to have sexual intercourse from this time until the next menstruation. Some basal body temperatures rise in steps, and it takes several days to reach the peak, which makes it difficult to calculate the exact time of ovulation.

For women who have irregular lifestyles and often work night shifts, it is not reliable to use basal body temperature to measure ovulation to achieve safe period contraception. Because basal body temperature requires regular, fixed-point testing under a regular lifestyle, it is only an indirect way to estimate ovulation. If the body temperature is not measured accurately, it will be even more impossible to calculate the ovulation date based on the body temperature.

So, how to measure your basal body temperature correctly?

2. The correct method of measuring basal body temperature

1. Buy a basal body thermometer. The basal thermometer is different from the general thermometer. Its scale is denser, and 36.7 degrees Celsius (24 on the scale) is generally used as the boundary between high and low temperatures. (36 degrees – scale 10; 38 degrees – scale 50).

2. Before going to bed every night, swing the mercury column on the thermometer to below 35 degrees. If it is an electronic thermometer, return it to the initial value and place it where you can reach it after waking up.

3. After waking up every morning, immediately place the thermometer under the tongue for 5 minutes, take it out, read the reading, and record it on a special form. It can also be measured under the armpit, but the armpit temperature is generally not as stable as the oral temperature.

4. It is strictly forbidden to get up, urinate, defecate, eat, talk, etc. before measuring body temperature.

5. Record any factors that may affect basal body temperature, such as colds, insomnia, drinking, medication, emotions, etc. If you have a cold, fever, diarrhea, insomnia, drink alcohol, use an electric blanket, drink too much, go to bed late and get up late, etc., your basal body temperature will often be affected. Be careful when measuring it and make sure to mark it specially.

6. Menstruation and sexual intercourse days must be marked with additional signs. In case of fever, excessive drinking, late sleep, late waking, and other conditions that may affect body temperature, special notes should also be made.

7. Record the measurement results on the basal body temperature chart. In addition to recording on paper, it is best to record them on a special basal body temperature management tool, which can more conveniently and intuitively view the basal body temperature curve and clearly see the low and high temperature periods.