When getting pregnant takes longer than anticipated, traditional methods such as tracking basal body temperature (BBT) and/or luteinizing hormone (LH) may leave you feeling confused about what is happening with your body. A new method — continuous core body temperature (CCBT) — is emerging as a better solution for identifying when you are most fertile.
Using core body temperature
Core body temperature is the body’s internal temperature, which makes a big difference compared to temperature readings taken from your skin, mouth, or ear. Regardless of the temperature outside, your core temperature is tightly regulated to keep your body’s systems functioning properly.
Tracking core body temperature continuously has been found to be a highly reliable marker for circadian rhythms that are associated with changes in fertility-related hormones driving the menstrual cycle, such as estrogen and progesterone. Circadian rhythms are not only for jet lag and sleep — they also play a big role in your fertility!
In other words, when your fertility-related hormones change with the phases of your menstrual cycle, CCBT readings can predict the days that you are most fertile leading up to ovulation. CCBT has been found to predict your most fertile days earlier than traditional methods, giving you more days to maximize your chances of conception.
CCBT versus traditional fertility tracking methods
Basal body temperature (BBT), or your temperature at rest, is generally not sensitive enough to capture the subtle changes that occur prior to ovulation and is also affected by environmental factors such as medication, lack of sleep, and alcohol. BBT detects the rise in temperature after ovulation has occurred, when the fertile window has already ended. BBT also requires taking your temperature at the same time every morning.
Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) measure a surge in the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) in urine, but the days with the highest probability of getting pregnant often occur before a detectable LH surge. Since individual LH surges are extremely variable, the surge can be missed even by those who test daily.
Peripheral sensors (worn on the wrist, for example) may make collecting temperature easier; however, skin temperature may not be an accurate predictor of ovulation. For example, temperatures taken with a wrist sensor indicated ovulation via a sustained three-day temperature shift in only 82 percent of cycles. In addition, most temperature shifts (86 percent) occurred on ovulation day or later.
Benefits of CCBT
Compared to the above methods, CCBT provides a more precise prediction of your fertile days because it is not impacted by user behavior or environment, and it is collected day and night from inside the body, catching changes that may occur anytime over a 24-hour period. CCBT gives you more time to have intercourse during peak fertility, maximizing your chances of conception.
If you are interested in using CCBT to maximize your chances of conception, take charge of your fertility with the Priya Personal Fertility System.
