Thursday, October 9, 2008

Ovulation Chart? How To Use An Ovulation Chart For Fertility

By Shola Oslo

When finding it difficult to conceive many couples have relied on the use of an ovulation chart. Charting your BBT, or basal body temperature, is an extremely easy way to help pinpoint fertile days during your cycle. During a woman's cycle many things happen to let her know she is about to ovulate, the rise and fall of your BBT is just another of these signs. Right before you ovulate your body temperature will drop slightly and then jump again after ovulation, this jump can be anywhere between a tenth of a degree to a full degree Fahrenheit. To notice changes this minute in nature you need a special thermometer call a "basal body thermometer", the use of this special thermometer will make your ovulation chart more accurate.

The trick behind correctly charting your BBT is to be consistent; you must check this everyday starting with the first day of your period. The best time to check your BBT is first thing in the morning before getting out of bed, remember basal body temperature is your body temperature at rest, so you must lie still or sleep for at least four hours prior to checking the temperature. Have your ovulation chart handy, like at the bed side, and chart every morning, then write it down before getting out of bed. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but, you must set your alarm clock back five minutes, just what you needed less sleep right?

Now, here come the rules of the game You have some options to choose from, you can take your BBT vaginally or orally, this does not matter as long as you take it in the same spot every time. As stated earlier you must take this after a prolonged period of rest, so no eating, drinking, or exercising before you take your temp. You must leave the thermometer in place as long as the instructions that came with your thermometer state. Most basal thermometers come with a chart in the box however, if you would rather print your own there are several websites that allow you to download and print out a blank ovulation chart. The Mayo clinic recommends using a graph to better visualize these changes every month.

Keep in mind that the increase of progesterone creates the rise in body temp, so if the elevated body temp last a couple of days this will indicate that ovulation has already occurred. By charting these changes on your ovulation chart you will start to notice a pattern after a few months, this should give you a very good idea of when you ovulate, in turn letting you that you may need to put a "do not disturb" sign on the front door during these days!

There are a few things you should know that can alter the results of your BBT. Shift workers may have some problems using this method of ovulation charting because, it is best to take your BBT at the same time everyday and sometimes this may not be possible for shift workers. Also women with insomnia and other sleep disorders may have a problem charting and tracking this appropriately. Other things that may alter the results or give you inaccurate results are: sickness, jetlag, stress, anxiety, smoking, and using an electric blanket. So try to avoid all these things while charting your BBT.

As mentioned earlier there can be many factors that influence the accuracy of your readings. Consistency is the key, but we all know how unpredictable our lives can be at times. If you have troubles one month, keep going. Record BBT as faithfully as you can, and remember that the charting you are recording is going to give you an indication for when to try to conceive in the future cycles. The longer and more consistent you maintain your ovulation chart, the better you will be able to predict your ovulation times within your cycle. Recording your basal body temperature with an ovulation chart is an effective way to start planning to conceive. - 14130

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