For those of you who don't have time to read a whole book, check out this blog that gives you the main idea so you can get started today! It's a great summary written by Rachel Guruvich RN on the website Very  Well Family under the topic Getting Pregnant. [Keep in mind you can use the same technique to AVOID getting pregnant, too!]

Please follow a few simple rules when charting BBT:

Take Your Temperature . . .

• At the same time every morning
• 10 minutes before you wake (set an alarm)
• After at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep
• Using a special Basal Temperature thermometer.

You can buy a basal temperature thermometer at your local drug store, or from your favorite online place to shop.

A Doctor of Oriental Medicine can look at your temperature chart for patterns such as Yin Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, Liver Qi Stagnation, Heart Qi Agitation, and other common infertility signs. These are treatable with acupuncture and prescription-grade pharmaceutical herbal medicines that typically have no side effects.

You can look at your chart to discover your fertile window, and when your period is going to start--even if it changes each month. That 's something your app cannot do.

You can also use your chart to determine if you might have a luteal phase deficiency, if there was ample time for implantation before deciduation, if you are trying to ovulate on time but can't, or even if you are likely to be pregnant--even before you take an early pregnancy test.

Other benefits to BBT charting is helping to identify underlying hormone problems, like low estrogen (or high FSH), low progesterone, low or high thyroid hormone, or a disconnect between your brain-to-ovary signals (the HPO axis). These can be addressed by a functional medicine doctor.

I have a special chart I use that highlights normal temperature ranges, and normal windows for fertility, implantation, and deciduation. It also has rows to mark fertile mucus, coitus, cervical signs, and lifestyle influences on fertility such as acupuncture, fertility foods, diet and exercise, and dates you started supplements or herbs to aid fertility.

I encourage ALL my patients to track basal body temperatures (BBT) for fertility awareness so they can get pregnant faster and with more confidence. It's simple, easy, and FREE.