To measure your Basal Body Temperature each day (a key aspect of fertility awareness) you’ll need a thermometer. These can usually be found at your local pharmacy or drugstore, or you can purchase them online.
It IS worth spending a bit extra to ensure that you get a GOOD quality thermometer. Cheaper thermometers tend to lack accuracy and can be unreliable.
Although you don’t need anything fancy, make sure your thermometer has the necessary features listed below. A backlight and a flexible tip can help make temperature taking easier and more comfortable, however these features are not essential.
Necessary Features
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Digital | |
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Measures in degrees Celsius (°C) | |
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Accuracy to 1/10th of a degree (1 decimal place) | |
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A memory function, which recalls the last reading |
Nice-to-have Features
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A backlight | |
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A flexible tip |

Do NOT use an ear thermometer, as these do not work for fertility charting purposes