Fertility
The Temperature Method of Ovulation Detection – With femSense it’s Finally Easy
Eloise Edington | 4 May 2021
In today’s fertility blog, we hear from femSense, the quick and simple ovulation detector test for those trying to conceive naturally. Read on as they cover temperature methods to track ovulation / your fertile window. Read on for 20% off (for a limited time only).
Words by femSense
The temperature method, sometimes called the rhythm or calendar method, is a form of fertility tracker used to identify ovulation and a woman’s most fertile days. The temperature method has been trusted by generations of women to plan or to avoid a pregnancy.
It is based on the fact that there is a direct connection between body temperature, ovulation and getting pregnant. During the days around ovulation a woman is at her most fertile and likely to get pregnant, so knowing if and when you ovulate can make the difference between getting pregnant, or not getting pregnant.
To use the temperature method correctly you need to measure your basal body temperature (BBT), this is your temperature when you are fully at rest. Its significance in relation to ovulation and pregnancy was first recognised by the German priest, Wilhelm Hillebrand, in 1935.
Based on the findings of the Dutch gynaecologist, Van de Velde and the calendar method of birth control developed by Ogino and Knaus, he produced the first temperature-based method of birth control – the first and only contraceptive method recognised by the Catholic Church for several decades.
Ever since then it has been used by women as way of identifying when they ovulate.
Related Article – Changing Fertility Clinics for a BFP
Why does a woman’s basal body temperature (BBT) rise at ovulation?
That is all down to hormones, specifically progesterone. A woman’s menstrual cycle is more than just the week of her period, it is a complex balance of hormones, the levels of which change throughout the menstrual cycle and which have a direct influence on the woman – both mentally and physically.
This is why, when it comes to basal body temperature and ovulation, it is an important thing to measure. The menstrual cycle can be broken down into three phases: the follicular phase which is the time before ovulation; the ovulatory phase when the egg is released and travels towards the uterus; the luteal phase when the body prepares either for pregnancy or a period.
Day 1 of her period is also Day 1 of a woman’s menstrual cycle. During the follicular phase days, higher levels of oestrogen cause the basal body temperature to fluctuate within a lower range. The ovulatory phase is the few days before, and the day of ovulation, this is a woman’s “fertile window” and the only time in the cycle that she can get pregnant.
The luteal phase involves higher levels of progesterone, which trigger ovulation, and cause the basal body temperature to fluctuate within a higher range. This tiny rise in basal body temperature is as a direct result of ovulation and is a sure sign that ovulation has occurred. Put simply, during ovulation the body temperature rises minutely and does not drop again until menstruation begins.
Related Article – Ovulation Prediction – How to Detect Ovulation Accurately and Easily
How do I measure the tiny rise in temperature?
Although the science behind the basal body temperature method is solid and, when done properly, very reliable, it has until now been very time consuming and complicated to use for ovulation detection. It is extremely difficult to measure the basal body temperature accurately and even more challenging to spot the minute (0.2° – 0.5°C) rise in basal body temperature caused by ovulation.
In order to detect ovulation and the most fertile days, you have to take your basal body temperature every day at exactly the same time and before you get out of bed (although the temperature before you wake would be much more precise!). You then chart this information for the whole month and analyse it, in combination with other symptoms of ovulation, while remembering to take disrupting factors such as travel, sleeping patterns or sickness into consideration.
Sound like a lot of hard work? It is!
Related Article – Getting Pregnant after Birth Control
So, how can femSense help for fertility tracking? Simple – femSense does all the hard work for you!
The technology behind the femSense sensor patch finally takes all the hard work out of the temperature method. The patch continuously measures your temperature, 24/7, during your fertile window, giving the femSense app temperature curves which can be compared over several days.
femSense does all the temperature measuring, charting and interpreting of the data, freeing you from the restrictions of measuring at the same time and place, as well as the worry about whether insomnia, shift-work or getting up during the night will affect your reading. The only stick you have to pee on is a pregnancy test! femSense provides the really important information for the user: when she is most fertile – and if / when she ovulated.
Basal body temperature tracking is actually the only way to confirm ovulation has actually taken place (apart from a progesterone test or ultrasound at the doctors). Hormonal OPKs test for traces of LH in the urine which indicate that the process of ovulation has started. However, they signal that your body is trying to ovulate, but they can’t confirm that ovulation happened. It is possible for LH to surge but not release an egg, resulting in a “false positive”. femSense can not only predict but also measure and confirm ovulation.
20% off for a limited time only
If you’d like to give femSense a go and see how hassle-free it is, then use discount code FERTILITYHELPHUB20 at checkout when ordering through our website (vaild until 30th June. This is an exclusive discount to Fertility Help Hub readers (valid on the three or six packets).
femSense in the USA
femSense will finally be available in the US from May 2021 and in the UK from Amazon.
Early bird discounts of up to 50% are available from the femSense US website.
