A digital thermometer helps you record your basal body temperature.
Whether you're trying for a baby or trying to avoid pregnancy, knowing when you ovulate is the key piece of information you need. As a woman, one way of pinpointing the ovulation date is to monitor your basal, or resting, body temperature throughout your menstrual cycle. You're likely to see a sharp rise in your temperature immediately after ovulation. By tracking this rise over several months, you can get an idea of when ovulation usually occurs and either have, or avoid, intercourse during this time, depending on whether or not you want to become pregnant.
Instructions
1. Take your temperature with a digital thermometer as soon as you wake up in the morning. Don't talk, eat or drink, brush your teeth or do anything else first as this could affect the results. Follow the instructions included with your thermometer precisely.
2. Record the results on your chart. You can get a chart from a local women's center or healthcare provider, download one from the internet or just make up your own. The important thing is that it has space to record your temperature to the nearest tenth of a degree for each day of your menstrual cycle.
3. Interpret the results as you build up a record over time. Many women experience a slight lowering in temperature just before ovulation, followed by a sharp jump after the egg is released. Typically, a woman's temperature before ovulation will be between 96 and 98 F, rising to between 97 and 99 afterward.
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