It might be a bit of a chore, but I find temperature charting to be an invaluable tool in the treatment of female fertility related problems. Tracking your basal body temperature allows us a glimpse into the unique cycle of your body. It gives me, the acupuncturist, objective information that we can compare to your pulse, tongue and case history info, in order to correctly diagnose your problem. It is best to have at least three months of charts to see what the established patterns are.
Some patients come in to the acupuncture clinic with a number of charts, which is great. If you have never done it before, you will need a regular digital thermometer. Any kind is good, as long as it gives tenths of a degree. The other thing you will need is a chart. You may down load them here free to print out from my resource page. It has places to note everything about your cycle, such as the days of the month, boxes to check if you are ovulating, and many more important details.
Start charting on day 1 of your cycle (first day of your menses). The temperature needs to be taken first thing upon waking, before you get up, go to the rest room, or start moving about. It is important to note that you will need to take you temperature around the same time each day. If you take your temperature at different times each day, you will get false readings.
After a month goes by, you will end up with a nice chart, which can tell us many things about your body. It can confirm if ovulation did happen that month, and about when it did. It can give us some indication on the strength of your progesterone levels, after you have ovulated. It can help an acupuncturist know if your treatments, or Chinese herbal therapies are working. And if you miss your menses, it can help indicate if you are pregnant.