How to measure basal temperature during pregnancy: measurement rules

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The female body is one of the greatest mysteries of the universe, which has occupied minds since the dawn of life on Earth. After all, only he is able to endure and give birth to his likeness. More than one generation of scientists devoted their work to this small everyday miracle - the birth of a he althy child. After centuries of observations, studies, smart heads were able to declassify all the processes that occur in a woman's body during pregnancy. Moreover, in the modern world, it has become possible to fertilize without the participation of a man (IVF), the artificial "bearing" of babies born much ahead of time. And doctors learned to plan the sex of the unborn child, to suspect emerging threats to the fetus from the temperature chart of the sleeping body.

Introducing the temperature of the sleeping body

What is called the temperature of a sleeping body? Minimumthe possible temperature of the body during a long rest is called the base temperature (basal, for convenience, the abbreviation BT is used). Long rest means sleep, the duration of which should be from 3 to 6 hours.

To figure out how to measure your basal temperature during pregnancy, you need to understand how it is achieved and why it needs to be measured.

When a person sleeps, the body (muscles) completely relaxes, processes slow down, calorie expenditure decreases - because of this, the body temperature drops. It reaches its minimum values after 3-6 hours of such passive rest (depending on the quality of sleep).

Approximate values

Monitoring of BT, scheduling helps to understand the processes occurring in a woman's body. Approximately once every 28 days, a woman experiences menstrual bleeding. Approximately in the middle of the cycle, the egg matures, which remains active from 12 hours to 2 days; during fertilization, it can develop into a desired pregnancy. In an average woman, from the first day of the menstrual cycle, the BT of the body is approximately 36.9 degrees, immediately before the maturation of the egg, it drops by an average of 0.4–0.6 degrees; after the end of ovulation, the indicator rises again by half a degree.

Why measure basal body temperature?

Monitoring changes in the values of this indicator allows you to control the hormonal background of the body and the state of the reproductive system. Briefly, the result can be stated as follows -identifying the most favorable time for conceiving a baby. So that there are no questions about why measuring basal temperature during pregnancy (after all, everything has already happened), you just need to read this paragraph to the end.

It is not uncommon for a long-awaited pregnancy to occur, and for unknown reasons, the development of the fetus stops, it is not possible to bear the baby. For any of the women, this becomes a huge blow. After all, the desire to be a mother is inherent in nature. A woman is ready even to the detriment of herself to realize her right - to give birth to offspring, to repeatedly try to conceive a child again. And in the next attempt, she no longer needs to explain why, where and how to measure basal temperature during pregnancy. After all, with the control of this indicator, the hormonal background can be corrected, thereby saving the life of the baby.

So, the most compelling reasons to watch this indicator are:

• contraception - determine safe days for sexual intercourse;
• as an aid in conception (to determine the date of ovulation);
• for conceiving a child of a certain gender;
• identifying gynecological problems;
• for monitoring the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy (in order to prevent fading and spontaneous miscarriage).

In connection with the last point, the question may arise - is it possible to measure basal temperature during pregnancy, is it safe? All doctors will unanimously say that it is not only possible, but also necessary, because a change in temperature will indicate a change in the hormonal background, which means possible threats. And early detectionthreats is an opportunity to adjust the amount of hormones, and therefore, to preserve the emerging life. The guarantor of safety will be the use of only one (own) thermometer during measurements. For more accurate conclusions, it is recommended to have readings of two to four months (or menstrual periods), it will be very good if the woman kept records before the start of pregnancy.

How and where is BBT measured?

There is no difference where to measure the basal temperature to determine pregnancy or in the early stages. It is allowed to obtain BBT values in several ways: rectally (through the anus), vaginally and orally. Consider each method separately:

1. Rectally - dip the tip of the thermometer (up to 4 cm) into the rectum, leave for a few minutes, depending on the type of thermometer.
2. Vaginally - about half of the thermometer is placed in the vagina and the results are recorded after a few minutes.
3. Oral - measurement takes place through the oral cavity, the tip of the thermometer is placed under the tongue or in the space between the cheek and gum (behind the cheek).

When the question arises: how to measure basal temperature during pregnancy, the recommendations will be categorical - only rectally. When pregnancy has already begun, we will talk about the safety of the baby's life! And the most accurate measurements will be with this method.

Which thermometer to take?

Together with the above question, they often ask: which thermometer to measure basal temperature whenpregnancy and how long? There is no single answer to these questions. Both are suitable for use: mercury (more dangerous, can break) and electronic (less accurate) thermometers. Moreover, to eliminate errors, it is recommended to take them only by the upper part, avoiding touching the base. The mercury thermometer will show the correct result in 7-10 minutes. For electronic, 5. is enough

When and in what cases are measurement results not informative?

It is necessary to prepare for the process of observing the BT of the body. It is better if the start of measurements coincides with the first day of the menstrual cycle. All medications should be canceled in advance, especially contraceptives, sedatives and alcohol-containing drugs (alcohol greatly distorts the data). Stressful situations, sexual contact with a partner, a sharp change in external temperatures (especially when changing time or climatic zones).

Rules to follow for accurate results

So the woman is going to use this method. What does she need to know and what rules to follow in order to get the most believable picture? How to correctly measure basal temperature during pregnancy, and are there any differences in the recommendations for measuring BT for women in position and not? The advice and rules are exactly the same, and do not depend on the presence or absence of a fertilized egg in the body.

To get the most accurate picture, you should strictly follow all the rules, although they may seemdifficult:

• Measurement should be taken daily at the same time, preferably in the morning after a long sleep (at least 3 and no more than 6 hours).
• Waking up, without sudden movements, silently, staying in bed, preferably in the twilight (because light irritates the retina, and this can affect BT). Measurements are taken within 7-10 minutes (the time should also remain unchanged). Even if you decide to continue sleeping, take the necessary measurements, enter them in a diary and continue to sleep. You can spend them earlier, later is no longer desirable. Distortion may appear.
• The thermometer is prepared in advance (since in the above chapter it turned out that it is better to use a mercury thermometer and take measurements rectally, we focus on these data), for this, the previous readings are reset, he himself is placed so that it is easy to get without doing unnecessary movements, and its tip is smeared.
• The thermometer is used the same, to eliminate errors. If the old one crashed, when purchasing a new one, give preference to the most similar option (one manufacturing company, number of divisions). The combined use of mercury and electronic thermometers is not allowed.
• When stressful situations that occurred the day before, or lifting weights, the presence of inflammatory processes, eating fatty foods, it is necessary to make notes in the diary to exclude the possibility of an error when plotting.

Many people are concerned about the question: the BBT chart, if you measure the basal temperature during the day, will it show pregnancy or not? In case whena woman works in shifts, all studies can be carried out at a different, more convenient time of day (but all of the above rules should remain unchanged - especially sleep lasting 3-6 hours). With a single measurement of BBT during the day, it is better to remove this figure from the graph or mark the circumstances in the notes.

In the evening, the temperature always drops due to the physiological characteristics of the body, even after a long rest, so it is not recommended to conduct observations and measurements at this time of day. They will be inaccurate.

Building a graph

To get a graph, take a sheet of paper, already lined millimeter, regular in a cage, is well suited. You can draw the grid for the graph yourself. Typically, the vertical axis denotes temperature, the horizontal axis denotes days (calendar dates). Next, points are applied (to find them, a temperature value is selected and a parallel straight line is drawn through it to the date axis, and vice versa, having marked the desired day, they are drawn parallel to the axis with marked degrees). All received marks are connected by a continuous line.

How long should pregnant women keep a diary?

After it became clear what the basal temperature during pregnancy is, where to measure it and why, it is necessary to clarify until what period the measurement of this indicator will be useful. Usually this period is 20 weeks, that is, it lasts the entire first trimester. At the 21st week of pregnancy, the influence of progesterone weakens, BT becomes uninformative, and the need for its furtherno control.

Transcripts of readings

So, the schedule is drawn up, all conditions are met. And I really want to understand it myself, without waiting for a trip to the doctor.

When a woman is looking forward to becoming a mother and after ovulation in the BT observation diary, after a week and a half, instead of lowering the curve to 36.7 degrees, she sees an almost flat line with values of 37.1, or 37.3 - We can say with confidence that the goal has been achieved. It is not recommended to rush and throw measurements. It is worth showing the data to the doctor and deciding together whether to protect yourself and how, measure basal temperature during early pregnancy or enjoy the result.

With an existing pregnancy, with its normal course, the BT line on the constructed diagram remains unchanged with values 37.1 - 37.3, until the end of the observations. If a sharp jump up (above 38) or vice versa down (below 37) is noticed, you should not guess what is happening, it is better to consult a doctor. After all, a decrease can mean a change in the hormonal background, which means that the threat of a miscarriage is quite real. A sharp increase can provoke a viral infection or other inflammation.

Calm, only calm

In any case, even a doctor will not be able to fully decipher the picture only by BT. With any deviations from the norm during pregnancy, jumps on the graph alone are not enough, additional symptoms must be present. Yes, every woman's body is different.or perhaps someone simply did not understand how to measure the basal temperature during pregnancy correctly. Many reasons could have influenced the schedule (malnutrition, increased activity the day before, stress), and no one has yet canceled the peculiarities of your pregnancy. Therefore, you need to calm down, not to invent something that does not exist. Excessive excitement will not bring anything good. Only the gynecologist who leads the pregnancy, having appointed additional studies, will be able to put everything in its place.