Charting your basal body temperature (BBT) can provide valuable insights into your menstrual cycle and overall reproductive health. Many women use BBT charting to track ovulation and identify potential fertility issues. While BBT charting is a widely recognized method in Western medicine, it also holds significance in Chinese medicine.
I often suggest it in clinic as it is a really helpful tool when working with issues relating to fertility or irregular cycles especially. Basal Body temperature charting gives a really good picture of what if going on with your body throughout the cycle (and not just as a snapshot on day 2 or 21 as a blood test would).
Every BBT chart is different, and there is no “perfect” chart, but generally speaking, a healthy cycle should be linked to a biphasic chart that looks like this:
This chart shows a whole menstrual cycle, and you can see there are two distinct phases to the cycle (hence the name biphasic). The first phase (follicular phase), starts from day one of your period or the first day of proper bleeding, to ovulation around the middle and is usually characterised by lower body temperatures.
The luteal phase is that second half of the cycle and tends to show higher and more sustained temperatures.
With BBT tracking, we’re not only looking at your most likely fertile days. We are also looking at several other important factors such as your overall temperature, what’s happening with your cervical mucus, intercourse days, illness and stress. This will help us to figure out your specific picture of health, and help us to treat you accordingly.
So if you’re a little too hot or if you’re a little too cold, we can help to balance you out. This will give you better general health as well as fertility health.
There are many things that will affect your BBT readings. One of them is alcohol. It warms you up, which will disrupt your reading. If you’re sick, that will also give a different reading. If you are highly stressed that will throw reading off, plus medications, travel, and many other things.
There will be fluctuations, and you will see that in your chart, so it is important to keep a track of these too.
How to BBT?
To start tracking your basal temperature, you will need to take your temperature every morning after you wake up, and note it down either on paper on on a app (I like FertilityFriends or Kindara as they make the information easy to read and interpret). To take your temperature, what you need to do is get a good quality digital BBT thermometer. An expensive basal thermometer is not necessarily any better than a good quality digital thermometer that you can get for abotu 10 euros online.
What are the rules when BBT charting?
I cannot stress enough, how important the following rules are. if you do not follow them, then it simply will not work.
- Minimum of three hours uninterrrupted sleep: You need to have at least three hours of sleep – one block of three-hour sleep – no less. So if you are up throughout the night – maybe you’ve got a toddler, or you work in shifts, it’s ok as long as you have a three-hour block of sleep, you can take your temperature after that.
- No drinking: When you wake up, it is very, very important that you do not drink – no water, no coffee.
- No eating.
- No speaking. Don’t roll over and talk to your partner or your cat.
- No getting up and bout. Do not get out of bed, and you don’t do any activity, because any of those activities will disrupt your temperature – they’ll bring your temperature up or it will create some other disturbance. The only movement you’re allowed to do is reaching over and grabbing the thermometer and sticking it in your mouth!
The good news is that you can get very quick at charting and soon it becomes a normal part of your routine, such as brushing your teeth.
Chinese Medicine and BBT charting
In traditional Chinese medicine, BBT charting is viewed as a tool for understanding the body’s internal balance and identifying patterns of disharmony. According to TCM principles, changes in BBT can reflect underlying imbalances in the body’s energy (qi) and blood flow. By analyzing these patterns, TCM practitioners can offer personalized recommendations to support reproductive health and overall well-being.
One of the key concepts in TCM is the idea of “yin” and “yang” energies, which represent opposing yet complementary forces in the body. When applied to BBT charting, TCM considers the fluctuations in temperature as indications of the interplay between yin and yang energies throughout the menstrual cycle. By recognizing these patterns, TCM practitioners can offer tailored lifestyle and dietary advice to help restore balance and promote fertility.
In TCM, BBT charting is often used in conjunction with other diagnostic methods such as pulse and tongue diagnosis to form a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s health. By integrating BBT charting into the broader context of TCM, practitioners can gain a deeper understanding of a woman’s reproductive health and offer holistic support.
It’s important to note that while Chinese Medicine provides valuable insights into reproductive health, it should not replace conventional medical advice and diagnosis. Integrating a holistic approach with Western medicine can offer a well-rounded approach to fertility support and overall wellness.
Whether you are using BBT charting to track ovulation or exploring its significance in Chinese medicine, understanding the patterns of your basal body temperature can empower you to take a proactive approach to your reproductive health. By combining the wisdom of both Western and Chinese medicine, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of your body and take steps to support your fertility journey.
Happy charting!
It may sound like hard work at first, but really when it comes down to it, it is a small amount of effort for a massive gain. Fertility is often a delicate balance of hormonal health, wellness, timing, and divine intervention. BBT charting gives you some control and clarity into how mother nature is creating life.
If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to get in touch for a chat.
