For some women, it can seem like thereâs no rhyme or reason to their BBT charts whatsoever. Temperatures just look completely rocky and erratic. (WTF, are these my body temperatures or some companyâs third quarter sales earnings??) If this sounds like you or youâre having issues discovering your BBT patterns, check out the troubleshooting list we put together down below.
- Check your digital thermometer. It has to be a thermometer designed to read BBT. If youâre sure that it is, double-check to make sure that the batteries are working. (Note: tapping thermometer while yelling âIs this thing on?â is not viable method of checking the batteries.)
- Review how you take your temperature. Follow the instructions provided with your BBT thermometer closely to ensure you’re taking your temperature accurately. For example, if you use the oral method, double-check that you place the tip close to the heat pocket under your tongue.
- Stick with the same method throughout your cycle. Whether you’re using a new thermometer or switching to vaginal temping, make these changes at the start of a new cycle to maintain accuracy.
- Make sure that youâre temping at the same time every day. Sleeping in even just an hour longer can increase your waking temperature. (If youâre lucky, eventually âbeing woken up at 7AM by your Basal body temperature alarmâ will eventually be replaced by âbeing woken up at 3AM by your babyâ #GOALS)
- Figure out if there are any factors in your environment or habits causing these effects. Disturbances, like disrupted sleep or drinking the night before, can affect your BBT.
While the issues above can sometimes explain why some women experience erratic BBT patterns, there can be other health-related causes or conditions as well. If youâre 100% sure that youâre tracking properly but still experience cycles of rocky temps without any clear pattern, you may want to bring this up with your doctor and talk about what could be going on.
