What is the basal body temperature monitoring method?
Basal body temperature monitoring is a contraceptive method which relies on the woman monitoring her basal body temperature on a daily basis. Basal body temperature is the body’s temperature at the time of waking up, before any physical activity has been performed. The woman must also record her daily temperature measurements on a chart, so that she can easily compare changes in the temperature from day to day. A woman’s body temperature changes throughout the menstrual cycle and changes in her body temperature coincide with hormonal changes which indicate fertile and non-fertile stages of the cycle. By monitoring her temperature every day, a woman can determine the periods of her menstrual cycle when she is and is not fertile. In order for basal body temperature monitoring to work effectively as a contraceptive method, the woman must abstain from sex or use another contraceptive method (usually a barrier method) while she is in the fertile period of her cycle.
