The magic is that waking temperature rises higher by about a tenth of a degree after ovulation occurs. Note this is after ovulation, so for the sake of not getting pregnant this is a bit of a late sign. The temperature stays high, as I described in the last FAM post, because of the progesterone released by the yellow body (corpus luteum). As the yellow body disintegrates, if the egg is not fertilized, progesterone diminishes and menstruation starts, beginning the cycle again and temperatures come back down.
Like I've also mentioned before, this luteal phase spans a finite amount of time, between 12 and 16 days. So, by knowing when ovulation probably occurred by looking at ones charts, one can predict just about when menstruation will start. This can be very convenient!
It's also important to note that there are ups and downs in the day to day temperatures, but only in looking at the general trend can you see the tendency for lower temperatures in the follicular phase (before ovulation) and the tendency for higher temperature in the luteal phase (after ovulation). To get technical about it, in Celsius, temperatures in the follicular phase are about 36.1 to 36.3; and in the luteal phase about 36.4 to 36.6. Pretty minute changes, but noticeable and certainly chartable.
1. take your temp first thing upon awakening, before any other activity (including, drinking water and going to the bathroom)
2. take it about the same time every morning, give or take an hour
3. use a digital thermometer, until it beeps
4. take your temperature orally and be consistent about it.
You can find plenty of charts on the TCOYF website here. And you're set to get started!
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