Basal temperature measurements are now widely used by women to determine the most favorable period for conception. Although this technique does not promise a 100% guarantee, when planning it often helps to determine whether ovulation has occurred. And some girls, according to these indicators, manage to determine conception from almost the first week, because basal temperature during pregnancy before the delay is somewhat different from that in the absence of fertilization.
Readings are most accurate in the morning, right after waking up
Everyone knows how to measure body temperature under the arm, but these indicators have nothing to do with basal ones, because BT is rectal temperature, which is measured in the rectum according to strict rules, because this indicator can be influenced by a lot of factors, even the simplest movements. Similar measurements can be made in the vagina or in the oral cavity, but the most accurate data will be precisely with rectal measurements.
In fact, the basal temperature is called the thermodynamic indicators of the body at rest in the physical and psycho-emotional terms. Measurement of basal temperature is one of the cheapest methods for determining ovulatory periods and conception. Therefore, experts recommend carrying out such measurements for women with problems with the regularity of the cycle, as well as for calculating ovulation when planning conception.
During the cycle, BT indicators change periodically. At first, it is lowered, and by the middle of the cycle it rises. Basal temperature graph is very convenient to keep to determine ovulation and a favorable fertile period. Therefore, for patients who have been unable to conceive for a long time, experts recommend drawing up such schedules.
Change in BT indicators during the cycle
Taking basal measurements is one of the cheapest methods for determining ovulatory periods and conception. During the entire cycle, BT changes in accordance with hormonal changes.
- When the menstruation ends, the rectal temperature is kept at 36.3-36.6 degrees. It is against the background of such thermodynamic indicators that each cycle occurs the maturation of female reproductive cells with the active participation of the estrogen hormone, which controls these processes.
- By the onset of ovulation, there is a sharp, but insignificant decline, and then the temperature rises to 37 degrees and even higher. Such a temperature dip is a sign of the release of the egg from the follicle, i.e. ovulation.
- If the fusion of the female cell with sperm occurs, then the basal temperature after conception will stably stay at elevated rates exceeding 37 degrees.
- If there was no conception, then a few days before menstruation, the temperature begins to drop to 36, 6 degrees.
Similar changes occur in the female body every cycle.
How to determine conception according to the basal schedule
The ovulatory period is different for each woman.
Basal temperature indicators during pregnancy have certain characteristics, therefore, with their help, it is possible to establish the fact that conception has occurred. After that, after a few days, suspicions of an interesting situation will be confirmed by malaise, soreness and swelling of the breast, a delay in a home test with two stripes and other characteristic signs.
The process of fertilization of an egg with a sperm goes unnoticed for the patient, but the implantation of an egg into the uterine endometrium can already be felt more clearly by insignificant pain and implantation bleeding. A few days before implantation, the temperature indicators on the basal chart will be kept at around 36.7-36.9. But the temperature at conception, when the embryo is already implanted into the uterus, that is, about a week after the ovulatory period and a week before the expected menstruation, will begin to rise again, reaching 37 degrees and above.
What basal temperature during pregnancy should be? For the development of the fetus, a temperature of about 37 ° C is needed, but to maintain its vital activity, higher temperature conditions are needed, exceeding the 37-degree mark. The hormonal system, more precisely, the progesterone hormone, which constantly changes throughout the cycle, like the temperature indicators on the basal graph, is involved in the regulation of the necessary temperature conditions.
There is such a thing as implantation sinking. On the basal graph, it looks like a sharp jump down after the maturation of the egg. A similar picture looks like this: after ovulation and fertilization, the rectal temperature rises, remains at elevated levels for several days, which confirms the completed ovulation and the onset of the luteinizing stage of the cycle. About a week after ovulation, the temperature characteristic of conception decreases, and after a day or two, it suddenly returns to its previous elevated rates.
What else do you need to know
This thermal failure is implantation sinking, which most likely indicates the onset of pregnancy. It is by this sinking that one can determine the fact of completed conception even before the onset of other symptoms and delayed menstruation. Quite often, such a depression is accompanied by bloody smears, the so-called. implantation bleeding, which is a completely natural condition for a pregnant woman.
But even in the absence of implantation depression on the basal graph, one can suspect the onset of pregnancy by a persistent increase in rectal temperature. What should be the basal temperature in the rectum during gestation. Usually, over a two-week period after ovulation or more, if conception has occurred, the temperature indicators are about 37-37.4 degrees. With such data, after detecting a delay, it is recommended to do a strip test, which by this time should already show the presence of a child.
Alarming sinking of BT during gestation
Each girl does not have uniform values \u200b\u200bof what the rectal temperature should be, because all organisms are individual. But still, sometimes there are situations when there are dangerous retractions of BT and gestation. There are many reasons for such sinking, but the most dangerous conditions are a frozen pregnancy, miscarriage and ectopic.
- Ectopic location of the fetus. With an increase in thermal parameters in the rectum to 37.5-38 ° C, which are observed for several days, there is every reason to suspect the presence of an inflammatory process in the patient's reproductive system. Meanwhile, an infectious pathology or an ectopic pregnancy may develop in the female body. If the embryo is fixed in the wrong place, then a specific reaction with thermal jumps and sinks may occur, so the curve on the graph looks wrong with uncharacteristic sinks.
- Interruption or freezing of the fetus. If a girl is sure of pregnancy, then a decrease in temperature indicators below 36.9 ° C should definitely cause concern. With such symptoms, there is every reason to believe that the patient is frozen or terminated. This decrease in temperature is associated with a decrease in progesterone, which occurs due to fetal death. There is no longer a need to maintain fetal activity, so the yellow-bodied gland lowers its production and the progesterone content in the body drops, which leads to a decrease in basal temperature.
When maintaining a basal schedule, you can detect suspicious signs in a timely manner and avoid dangerous consequences.
Advantages and disadvantages of maintaining a basal schedule
It is very convenient to keep a special calendar
Taking rectal measurements on a daily basis helps the patient to clearly track the slightest changes in her cycle. This method is quite simple and affordable, it can be done at home, it does not require any money. According to the schedule, you can determine the exact time of the ovulatory period, fertilization that occurred, deviations during pregnancy and other conditions.
But this method also has disadvantages. One of these is the individuality of each girl's organisms. It is far from always possible to accurately calculate the date of the ovulatory period, because this process in many patients can occur at rather low rectal temperature indicators, or BT increases significantly by the end of the cycle, and not immediately after the maturation and release of the egg.
In addition, there is a high probability of an error in the calculations, because taking measurements requires compliance with clear rules, because quite a few factors can contribute to the distortion of the results. Also, rectal measurements will not give the patient information about the development of the corpus luteum. Therefore, you should not give up other measurement methods. Therefore, with increased BT indices, if there is a suspicion of fertilization that has occurred, it is necessary to additionally conduct ultrasound diagnostics and testing with strip strips, as well as donate blood for analysis to check the content of the hCG hormone.
How to avoid false results
To get the most reliable data on basal temperature, you must strictly follow all the rules for taking measurements. First, it is necessary to measure BT in the rectum or vagina, oral cavity, although the measurement in the anus is considered the most informative, because the rectum is considered the most sensitive to changes in hormonal levels, or, more precisely, to changes in progesterone hormone. In this case, measurements should be made in one place, and not so that one day you measure in the mouth, on the other - in the vagina, and on the third - in the rectum. With such measurements, the results will be unreliable.
In addition, measurements should be made with only one thermometer in order to eliminate instrumental error. The choice of an electronic or mercury thermometer to measure remains only for the woman. Take measurements at the same time, early in the morning, as soon as you open your eyes, without even sitting down in bed or turning on your side. The fact is that the girl's body should be in a state of absolute rest.
The duration of measurements should be about 5-7 minutes, if measurements are carried out with an electronic thermometer, then before the sound signal. It is necessary to start drawing up a basal schedule from the first day of the female cycle, while measurements cannot be interrupted even during the period of menstrual bleeding.
How to make calculations correctly
Under some circumstances, basal measurements may not be accurate. This happens if:
- At the time of measurements, the patient was ill with acute respiratory viral infectionsaccompanied by hyperthermic conditions or fever;
- Rectal measurements were carried out at different times of the day or with different thermometers, for example, one day electronic, and the next - mercury;
- After waking up, a woman got up, for example, to the toilet, or went to the bathroom for a thermometer. The slightest movement leads to an increase in basal temperature, so it is necessary to prepare the thermometer for measurements in the evening, putting it on the bedside table;
- The patient did not get enough sleep, was too active or experienced stressful conditions, psychoemotional excitement, etc. Even a banal flight on an airplane may not affect the basal rates in the best way;
- The girl took medications, especially from the category hormonal drugs;
- The woman consumed alcohol in any quantity, even a glass of wine at night can distort the rectal temperature;
- The spouses had sex at night or in the morning before the measurements.
If during the measurements there were any circumstances that could distort the true temperature in the rectum, then when entering the data into the basal graph, it is necessary to indicate them somewhere below or on the side of the graph.
If according to the schedule the patient clearly sees the presence of pregnancy, and before the delay is still a few days, then there is no need to panic. We must calmly wait for the day of the next menstruation, if they are not there, then do a test. To confirm pregnancy after a positive test, you need to contact the LCD, where the girl will be assigned ultrasound diagnostics.
The method of measuring basal temperature (BT) was invented back in 1953 in England. It is based on measuring the temperature after a night's sleep, at rest. It is important to know that the rules for measuring temperature are quite strict, and you cannot deviate from them: every tenth of a degree matters. Measurements are carried out only with a mercury thermometer in the mouth, vagina or rectum. The last method is considered the most convenient. Measuring the basal temperature helps to establish whether there was ovulation during the cycle, and whether the long-awaited conception has occurred. What should be the basal temperature with a delay in menstruation in order to understand whether pregnancy has occurred? Let's try to understand this issue.
How to measure temperature correctly? Prepare a notebook and a pen in advance: it is better to write down the results immediately, so that later, based on the dynamics, build an appropriate schedule. You should not expect that the method will immediately bring results: it may take several months to figure out exactly what exactly is happening with the hormonal background of your body.
The rules for measuring BT are as follows:
- The same mercury thermometer is used, which should be at hand;
- The temperature is measured every day at the same time after sleep, the difference should not exceed 30 minutes;
- All measurements are taken immediately after sleep, without getting out of bed, in the supine position;
- Measurement time - 5-7 minutes;
- If you cannot accurately determine the figure, record the lower figure in the graph.
Basal temperature during a delay, as well as on all other days of the cycle, must be measured after at least three hours of sleep, otherwise the indicators will be inaccurate. This is a certain complexity of the method: any movement, stress, sexual intercourse the day before can affect the result. It must be recorded in any case, however, make a note in the diary what factors could change the indicators.
Temperature during pregnancy before delay
So, BT shows changes in the hormonal background in a woman during the menstrual cycle and indirectly indicates ovulation. Women use these data to determine the most favorable days for conceiving a child.
If the cycle occurs without deviations, then the basal temperature indicators before ovulation will range from 36.5 to 36.8 degrees. A jump to 37 degrees indicates that ovulation has occurred. BT values \u200b\u200bdecrease one to two days before the onset of menstruation. The temperature during pregnancy before the delay, thus, will remain at 37 degrees, and this is a serious reason to assume that the test will soon show the cherished two stripes.
Once again, we repeat that it is necessary not only to record BT indicators, but to draw up a graph from them, according to which the changes will be better visible. It is very simple to do this: draw the coordinate axes on a sheet of paper. The horizontal axis is the days of the cycle, the vertical axis is the basal temperature. The resulting points on the chart must be connected with lines. In this case, the peaks and troughs in temperature will be obvious.
Are basal body temperature readings always reliable during a delay? First, in order for pregnancy to occur, ovulation must first occur. If there was no ovulation in this cycle, conception is also impossible. In this case, the increase in temperature is not related to pregnancy, and can be caused by many other factors. However, the graph will be useful to you in order to show it to the gynecologist.
In general, the BT measurement method is best used to determine ovulation and suitable days for conception. It cannot be considered 100% reliable for determining pregnancy - for this there are other methods based on measuring the level of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the blood or urine of a woman.
However, if a woman has been unable to get pregnant for a long time, then drawing up monthly BT schedules will, of course, bring clarity to the specifics of her cycle.
It is worthwhile to be wary if the basal temperature rises too much during the delay of menstruation (up to 37.5 degrees or higher). Such indicators may indicate the presence inflammatory processes in organism. votes)
In order for the BT measurement to be informative for the gynecologist, records must be kept systematically, measuring the temperature at the same time (preferably before 8 am) and using the same thermometer for this.
A woman should also include in her schedule additional information about her well-being at the time of measurement and other factors that may affect the thermometer readings.
BT, measured once or twice with a delay in menstruation, carries absolutely no useful information.
But even full-fledged graphs for several cycles cannot be the only basis for making a diagnosis - they only serve as an auxiliary material for an experienced doctor in complex diagnostics.
Why make measurements?
A correctly deciphered BT graph provides the following information: the estimated moment of egg maturation and the onset of ovulation (or its absence), the state of the endocrine system and the body as a whole, the presence of possible hormonal disorders (lack of estrogen or progesterone in the first and second phases of the cycle). These data are necessary for planning pregnancy and conceiving a child, especially if the patient has problems with the reproductive system.
Basal temperature with a delay in menstruation may indicate the following conditions of the body:
- pregnancy;
- hormonal imbalance;
- various gynecological diseases, which are characterized by a certain BT.
BT data with a delay indicate certain disorders in the woman's reproductive system and can contribute to the diagnosis of infertility.
By measuring the internal temperature regularly and in accordance with all the rules, you can calculate the most favorable moment for conception, which increases the likelihood of becoming pregnant (especially if this cannot be done for a year or more).
An abnormally high or low BT with a delay may become a reason for contacting an antenatal clinic, undergoing examinations and taking tests. Any long-term deviation from the norm should be a cause for concern.
Measurement rules
During the delay, BT is measured in the same way as on other days of the cycle: measurements are taken daily at the same time with a maximum difference of 30 minutes.
If the oral measurement method is chosen, the thermometer must be placed under the tongue and held for at least 5 minutes. (for other measurement methods, 3 minutes are enough). It is important not to make unnecessary movements before taking a measurement, so prepare everything you need in the evening to measure your core temperature just by opening your eyes while lying down.
If a woman works the night shift, BT can be measured during the day after prolonged uninterrupted sleep.
The BT indicators are affected by any physical activity the day before, taking medications, hormonal drugs, sleeping pills or alcohol, moving, any disruptions in the body, diseases associated with an increase in overall body temperature. Temperature fluctuations even by one hundredth of a degree are significant when analyzing the graph in case of suspicion of any pathology or pregnancy. Therefore, you need to try to avoid errors when measuring BT.
It is possible to determine the presence of pregnancy by BT with a delay only if there was ovulation in the cycle.
What should be the BT during the cycle?
Under the influence of estrogen and progesterone, BT fluctuates at different periods of the cycle. In the first phase (from the onset of menstruation to the moment the egg leaves the follicle), it should be below 37 ° C (from 36.2 to 36.8 ° C), and just before ovulation, it may drop a little more.
In the second period of the cycle, with the onset of ovulation and until the next menstruation, BT should increase by 0.4 - 0.8 ° C. On the eve of menstruation (or on the first day), it should normally go down again. The pre-ovulatory phase has a different duration in women, and the period after ovulation usually lasts 12-14 days.
If pregnancy occurs, BT should remain elevated and even grow for 14-18 days after ovulation and in subsequent periods. On the day of the delay, it can rise by 0.2-0.3 ° C. But we can talk about a possible conception in case of a delay only if the cycle was ovulatory (which means that fertilization could take place).
Otherwise, an increased BT during a delay indicates a pathology. Too high values \u200b\u200bduring this period (for example, 37.5 ° C) with a high degree of probability indicate inflammation in the uterus or appendages. On the other hand, a jump in temperature for one day does not mean anything yet, since it can be caused by many external factors or simply incorrect measurement.
Another sign of a possible pregnancy with increased BT during a delay is the presence in the schedule of the so-called 1 - 2-day "implantation retraction" 7-10 days after ovulation.
A decrease in indicators with a delay in the case of fertilization indicates a lack of hormones responsible for maintaining pregnancy, and the threat of miscarriage.
Decryption nuances
Here it is very important to pay attention not so much to the readings of the internal temperature (which can be individual and differ from the standard graphs), but to their ratio in the first and second periods. After ovulation, BT should be at least 0.4 ° C higher than before ovulation.
When decoding, it is necessary to take into account the accompanying entries in the schedule that could affect the increase or decrease in BT, including during the delay.
With the help of BT graphs, you can independently carry out early diagnosis of pregnancy, and suspect the presence of a pathological process. But it is impossible to rely only on BT measurements when finding out the reasons for the delay, and even more so to start self-medication - you need to contact the antenatal clinic and conduct a comprehensive examination. At the same time, BT data for several months can significantly help the gynecologist to determine the true cause of the delay.
Thus, abnormal readings with a delay indicate that fertilization has taken place or some gynecological disease.
You can clarify the suspected cause of the cycle violation by analyzing the data from several graphs of internal temperature measurements. The temperature measured once or twice during the delay does not carry any useful information.