How to Use Temperature for Birth Control

Forget store-bought fertility tests, your own body can tell you exactly when you are prime for conception. Using your body's temperature to tell when you are fertile, and when you're not, is all about charting your Basal Body Temperature or BBT on a daily basis. You can then use this information to avoid sexual intercourse during your peak time of the month.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Set a Basal Body Temperature thermometer on your nightstand. It is important to get this type of thermometer, since it tracks to a tenth of a degree and the temperature changes you experience may be very small.

2. Wake up and immediately take your BBT. It is important that you do this immediately, before you even get out of bed in the morning, take a sip of water or say good morning to your partner. You also need to take your temperature at the same time everyday, due to normal fluctuations throughout the day.

3. Print out a BBT chart and record your daily findings. This will help you compare each morning's BBT against the previous day's BBT.

4. Watch for a small drop in temperature, followed by a rise of at least 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Your temperature should stay steady before ovulation, drop slightly during ovulation and then rise after ovulation past your pre-ovulation temperature. Not all women may have the small drop during ovulation, but you should have the post-ovulation rise.

5. Track your BBT for at least a few months to get a good idea of your body's cycle. You can then avoid intercourse at times when you are due to ovulate. You may also want to continue tracking and charting your BBT every morning, just in case you have an irregular month.

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