Why is my basal body temperature much lower than it was during my last cycle?

You wanted to know why your basal body temperature is lower during this cycle than it has been in previous cycles. And it's normal for our bodies to vary slightly. It can depend on the climate, the time of year, the clothes we're wearing, and so slight variances are totally fine. A normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees, but again, if that varies slightly, like 0.1 degrees or so, then that's okay. The key to taking your basal body temperature is to do it each morning before you get out of bed (even to go to the bathroom), don't take a drink or eat anything before you take your temperature, and record it daily. And what you're looking for is a 0.5 degree increase, and once you see that, then you know that you've ovulated. But that information isn't helpful for that cycle, because it's only helpful in retrospect. The temperature increase only happens after ovulation, so it's not like you can time intercourse with ovulation, because it already happened. But after tracking it for a few months, then you'll be able to determine when your body's ovulating in your cycle, time intercourse with your fertile window, and (hopefully) conceive a baby.

If you continue to track your temperature during the rest of your cycle after you've seen the increase, you may see an increase about 10 to 14 days later, and this is a sign that your body is getting ready to start another period. If you have more specific questions or concerns about it, talk with your doctor. And if you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at   / intermountainmoms  , and recommend us to your friends and family too.