What should the vaginal temperature be during pregnancy?

Low basal temperature during early pregnancy

The fact that pregnancy has taken place can be judged by the BT schedule. Having risen to higher levels compared to the first phase, the temperature remains so for at least two weeks. A persistent increase in basal temperature is one of the very first signs of pregnancy: often there is not even a delay or other symptoms, and the woman already suspects that conception has taken place.

Generally accepted standards for basal temperature for pregnant women are considered to be in the range from 37°C to 37.4°C. A drop in temperature below the established lower limit often indicates a threat of miscarriage or the development of an ectopic pregnancy. This is why women are so afraid of reducing their BBT. However, you should panic and immediately run to the doctor only if BT suddenly decreases after its persistent increase, as well as if other obvious signs of fading or miscarriage are observed. If the indicators have increased, but still do not reach the norm, then do not rush to make hasty conclusions. Everything may turn out to be quite normal and even good! But it’s definitely worth telling your doctor about this.

A low basal temperature during pregnancy can undoubtedly be one of the first to indicate progesterone deficiency (or corpus luteum deficiency), which literally means the threat of miscarriage - not enough progesterone is produced, and therefore the temperature does not rise properly. And at the same time, BT indicators below the norms accepted for pregnant women are not necessarily a sign of abnormalities. There are many women who successfully carried and gave birth against a background of low basal temperature at the beginning of pregnancy.

What is the temperature in the vagina during pregnancy: how to measure

Hello girls!

When a woman finds out about her “interesting situation,” she has mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is great joy, on the other hand, it is responsibility. And the second often prevails over the first.

Many questions arise, one of them is what temperature in the vagina during pregnancy will indicate the presence of disorders? Indeed, doctors recommend this procedure as a measure for quality control of the baby’s condition. Why? Let's figure it out.

Why do you need to measure temperature?

Many ladies know that measuring vaginal temperature is important for conception. In this way, you can easily find out the day of ovulation, that is, the most favorable period for intimate contact with a man.

How things change here:

before the month this parameter is: 36.7 – 36.9 degrees;
by the time the egg matures – 37 – 37.1 degrees.

If the egg remains unfertilized, its temperature returns to its original value. Women are sure that if the basal temperature reaches 37 degrees, then this definitely indicates pregnancy. At the same time, all other symptoms, for example, missed periods, nausea and others, will appear a little later.

We can rightfully say that before a delay, only temperature will tell about the presence of pregnancy. By the way, this allows a woman to take care of the baby from the first days of his life, which, as you know, are the most difficult for an embryo. For example, it is important to leave bad habits in the past, streamline your diet and daily routine.

Why is it rising?

Often on forums women ask about the reason for the increase. I’ll say right away that this is normal. Here the mechanism operates as follows. When an egg is fertilized, it requires special conditions for development. Progesterone, a hormone, is responsible for them, the amount of which immediately increases in the body. At the same time, the uterus is in standby mode.

And all this provokes an increase in temperature, but up to certain limits. I would compare this process with stress - everyone is tense, everyone is waiting for the egg to finally attach to the wall of the uterus and a new stage to begin - the development of the embryo. Now do you understand why the temperature becomes unstable? What affects the parameters?

Yes, anything:

stress;
physical fatigue.

It is best to take your temperature in the morning. At this time, the body has rested from all the problems of the past day and has not yet delved into what is happening today.

How to measure correctly

You must know what temperature should be - from 37 to 37.3. It is rare to see an increase beyond these limits, but if this happens, be sure to consult a doctor. It is quite possible that this is a feature of your body. But so that you have no doubts, you should understand how to measure.

Everything is simple here:

place the thermometer 2 cm into the vagina, do not overdo it;
hold for 5 minutes.

It’s good if your device is electronic and signals the completion of the procedure. As you can see, nothing complicated. But there are certain rules. For example, you can measure the temperature both in the vagina and in the anus. But if you started doing this in the vagina, then continue, otherwise the result will be incorrect.

The procedure must be carried out at the same time, an hour difference is allowed. And definitely one thermometer. In the early stages, you should do this exclusively while lying down, without getting out of bed, without turning on your side. All this will lead to incorrect readings.

There are other rules. For example, during the entire period of measuring BT you cannot have sex or take medications. And lastly, don’t get sick; any illness leads to incorrect data.

How to record information

If you are determined to take care of your health and the condition of your baby, then you definitely need to keep a measurement schedule. It looks something like this.

Of course, these are symbols, but they give an idea of what you should ultimately get if you write down information every day. This option is suitable for anyone who wants to find out about their pregnancy as early as possible.

But there are reasons why the doctor insists on performing the procedure, for example, a history of miscarriage. BT monitoring allows you to quickly identify the problem and eliminate it.

When to see a doctor

Remember when I said that there is a threshold for increasing BT? What to do if you have a high vaginal temperature, that is, above 38 degrees? Most likely, we are talking about pathology. And almost always this concerns the woman’s reproductive system.

The most common include:

inflammatory processes;
ectopic pregnancy.

If vaginal discharge is added to this, then you can’t hesitate, see a doctor immediately. The woman will undergo an examination and ultrasound, which will determine the presence of pathology and help make an accurate diagnosis. We always talk about an increase, or maybe a decrease in BT? Yes! And this is directly related to the risk of miscarriage.

And this is another argument in favor of the mandatory procedure. In this case, the level of progesterone drops and this indicates a possible rejection of the fertilized egg. The woman has pain in the vagina, lower abdomen, and there is discharge. All these are sure signs of a critical condition. Another reason for a low BT parameter is a frozen pregnancy.

The algorithm is the same - the amount of progesterone decreases, the temperature decreases. The webinar “Vaginal Discharge” is an important course for those women who want to stay healthy. You will learn how to be treated correctly so that the disease does not return, what are the rules of intimate hygiene and possible types of protection against pathology. The webinar is your ticket to a healthy life, without fear and reproach.

What does low basal temperature mean during pregnancy?

The very first thing that suspicious pregnant women begin to worry about when BBT in the early stages of pregnancy turns out to be lower than usual is progesterone deficiency, which is equal to the threat of miscarriage. This complication certainly requires correction, but under medical supervision it does not pose a great danger to pregnancy: many expectant mothers today support their pregnancy with the help of hormonal therapy. To raise and maintain the concentration of progesterone at the desired level, today, as a rule, Duphaston or Utrozhestan is used.

However, we are not talking about progesterone deficiency in all such cases. Usually, in addition to low BT, a woman also experiences other alarming symptoms: nagging pain in the lower abdomen, lower back pain, spotting.

If nothing like this is noticed, then an insufficiently high BT should not cause you concern.

Low basal temperature during pregnancy can have other, often quite harmless reasons:

Measurement error . An error can occur in any measurements, and even more so in such “delicate” ones. There are many factors that can affect BT indicators, such as fatigue, insomnia, colds and others. In addition, it is quite possible that the rules for measuring basal temperature were violated. Do not forget about the technical error - different thermometers can show the temperature at the same time in the same person, measured in the same way, with slight differences.
Physiological feature . It is absolutely possible that a low basal temperature during pregnancy according to established standards may turn out to be high for your body, because the standards are an average value, that is, deviations in any direction are possible. This is easy to check by looking at the BT chart: regardless of the numbers, the basal temperature during pregnancy should be at least 0.4 degrees higher than in the first phase. If the difference is even greater, then there is no need to worry about it.

Rectal temperature and its indicators

Rectal temperature is the temperature in the rectum, in other words, in the anus. Using this temperature indicators, you can make various observations about the state of health of a pregnant woman and the progress of her pregnancy.

For example, by reading rectal temperature, you can find out whether a pregnant woman has enough progesterone. This is a very important indicator, because if there is little progesterone, a miscarriage may occur in the early stages of pregnancy.

When pregnancy occurs in a woman’s body, the rectal temperature immediately rises to 37 degrees and above. This temperature lasts until 15-20 weeks of pregnancy. And only then do her indicators return to their previous levels.
If a pregnant woman measures her rectal temperature daily, she will be able to notice in time and, possibly, prevent dire consequences. For example, a sharp decrease in rectal temperature during pregnancy may indicate that the body has begun the process of spontaneous miscarriage. It is worth noting the fact that during such a period a woman can feel absolutely healthy and nothing can bother her. If she notices a decrease in rectal temperature in time, the child can still be saved.
If a decrease in rectal temperature occurs in the earliest stages of pregnancy, that is, before twelve weeks, the doctor will necessarily prescribe a course of hormonal therapy. You shouldn’t refuse it, because this is a chance for your future baby.
It is best if a pregnant woman keeps a special chart in which she will note all the results of her measurements. Then it will be possible to take timely measures if something goes wrong.
It is worth remembering that the normal rectal temperature of a pregnant woman in the first half of her pregnancy is considered to be a temperature from 37 to 37.5 degrees. A minimal deviation from this norm, either upward or downward, is a serious cause for concern and immediate consultation with a doctor.

Pregnancy at low basal temperature

You may not even be aware that a low basal temperature during pregnancy is normal for your body if you have never kept a chart before. But in reality there are a lot of such women! They carry pregnancies without unnecessary hassle and difficulties associated with such a feature of their body. But to make sure that there are no risks to the fetus due to low BT, it is necessary to at least take a progesterone level test. It will also not be superfluous to determine hCG and do an ultrasound. If examinations do not reveal any abnormalities, then you can easily forget about the “wrong” basal temperature.

However, some doctors still advise monitoring during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy to ensure that BBT does not fall below 36.5°C, which is already an exciting sign. In other cases, it is not worth attaching importance to this separate criterion: the assessment of the state of pregnancy and the fetus is carried out only comprehensively based on the results of laboratory tests.

Especially for - Ekaterina Vlasenko

Why do you need a rectal temperature indicator during pregnancy?

Rectal temperature is measured by inserting a thermometer into the rectum. Doctors recommend taking measurements immediately after waking up, explaining that in this case the temperature readings will be more accurate. In the early and late stages of pregnancy, in order to timely exclude the development of any pathologies, doctors insist on constant measurements and drawing up a temperature chart.

In what cases do doctors recommend taking measurements?

This indicator allows you to assess the state of hormonal homeostasis in the female body and the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. The biological method of contraception is based on measurements. In addition, using this information, you can calculate days favorable for conception. Temperature indicators also make it possible to identify many disorders in the reproductive system. However, rectal temperature is most important during pregnancy.

In early and late gestation, measurement is necessary in the following cases:

if there is a risk of pathological spontaneous abortion;
to confirm conception, fetal fading, ectopic pregnancy;
if it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the embryo (if there is a history of miscarriages);
to prevent the development of pathological processes in the pelvic organs.

Usually, if the woman’s health is satisfactory and the pregnancy is not aggravated by complications, there is no need to measure the temperature. This diagnostic method is used only if there are certain medical indications.

Are there any contraindications for taking measurements?

Measuring rectal body temperature involves inserting a thermometer into the anus, therefore, in the presence of the following diseases and conditions, the use of a diagnostic method during pregnancy is not recommended:

too frequent urge to have bowel movements;
difficult defecation associated with compaction of stool;
acute forms of rectal pathologies;
hyperthermic syndrome.

Temperature in the 2nd trimester

An elevated temperature at this stage of pregnancy carries a lower risk of developing pathology in the fetus. However, it is necessary to continue to monitor BT. Knowing what a pregnant woman's temperature should be in the second trimester, you will understand that a result of 38 °C or higher should cause concern. If the indicator remains high, there is a high probability of developing a dangerous disease in the body. Hyperthermia in the 2nd trimester requires increased attention - it is in your interests to detect the cause in time in order to take the necessary measures.

What should the basal temperature be if there is no pregnancy?

If conception does not occur on the day of ovulation and in the 2nd half of the cycle, the temperature will drop. For a pregnant woman, for 18 days it remains in the range of 37.1-37.2°. But you should not rely only on temperature measurements or even the absence of menstruation. These phenomena can be caused by severe stress, illness, hormonal imbalances, lifestyle and nutrition. Make an appointment with a gynecologist, who will confirm the increase in temperature due to the production of the hormone progesterone, which indicates successful conception.