• Q. I am 34 years old and my husband and I are trying to have a family. I have been recording my temperature on a BBT chart. When is the best time to try to conceive?

  A. Basal Body Temperature Charts are used to help couples trying to have children. They are used to help determine when the women is ovulating (releasing the egg), so the couple can have intercourse at the most appropriate time of the month in order to maximize their chances of getting pregnant.

  The way this is done is as follows:

• The woman takes her temperature when she first wakes up in the morning, ideally before she gets out of bed. This can be done with a regular thermometer under the tongue, or with a special thermometer available at the pharmacy which is designed specifically for this use. The advantage to the special one is that it's easier to read and record small differences in temperature. The disadvantage is it's cost.
• The temperature is recorded DAILY for 2 or 3 months.
• The results are graphed on paper as follows
  

  This method, although variable and often disputed, is quite reliable in predicting ovulation in the woman. The increase in temperature noted, as in the above picture, is an indication of what's known as the LH surge. Ovulation itself probably occurs 1 day before the first increase in temperature noted. If this method is used consistently to predict ovulation in the woman, a couple can take advantage of this knowledge and have intercourse every 36-48 hours, from 3 to 4 days prior to and 2 day after the expected ovulation.

  - Question on infertility
  - Statistics on infertility.

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