If I have asked you to chart your BBT, what follows is a complete set of instructions to guide you! And if you are wondering what BBT charting is and why you would do it, you might want to check out my post, Why Track Your BBT?

HOW TO CHART YOUR BBT

1. First you’ll want to find a digital basal body thermometer, which is different from a regular thermometer in that it is accurate to two (not one) decimal places. You can find a basal thermometer online. I’ve also seen them at Target.

2. Download a charting app that will display a precise chart of your cycle and allow you to add notes. I recommend Kindara because 1) it’s free, 2) the chart it produces is very clear to interpret, and 3) it has a share function so that you can share your chart with a practitioner. If you are working with me in my clinic, please click “More” in the bottom right corner of the app, then “Share Kindara,” then “Share With Practitioner,” and enter my email address.

3. Keep your thermometer right by your bed within arm’s reach. I recommend setting it on your phone so that you automatically grab it when turning off your alarm.

4. Take your temperature first thing in the morning at approximately the same time each day. You’ll want to take your temperature BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF BED or do anything really, including stretching, speaking, or using the bathroom.

5. You may choose to take your temperature orally or vaginally; just be sure to use one method consistently. Using the same method every day will help ensure an accurate reading. If your temperatures seem to be bouncing all over the place with no rhyme or reason, try switching to vaginal temperature readings, which can be more accurate for some women.

NOTES:

• It is best to take your temperature after at least five hours of sleep. And if you’re not consistently getting at least 8 hours of sleep, we need to talk.

• If you take your temperature earlier or later than usual, please still add it to your chart, but be aware that it will be lower than usual if you woke up earlier and higher than usual if you woke up later, as your core temperature rises and falls with your circadian rhythms.

• Other factors that can influence your basal body temperature: alcohol consumption the previous night, inadequate sleep, breathing through your mouth (if you take your temp under your tongue).

• As your cycle progresses, your app will connect the dots on your chart. Your chart may have a clear shape or it may not. Don’t worry about interpreting your chart; that’s my job. Your job is simply to collect the data.

• Cycle Day 1 is the first day of your period. In Kindara, you will enter your the heaviness of your flow and the app will start a new cycle for you. Spotting does not count as the start of your period. If your flow starts after 6pm, you’ll enter your first day of flow on the following day.

• You may begin charting on any day in your cycle; just be sure to enter which day of your cycle you are starting on (ie., how many days it’s been since the start of your last menstrual period).

• On the appropriate cycle days, please take relevant notes including any symptoms you relate to your hormone cycle (PMS, breast tenderness, headaches) and maybe even symptoms you don’t relate to your hormone cycle. Sometimes a pattern can unexpectedly emerge! If you are trying to conceive, Kindara also allows you to track which days you have intercourse, and the quality of any cervical fluid you notice (e.g. gummy, creamy, stretchy, egg white, etc.).