A question about temperatures

Greetings!

An interesting message about temperature-taking:

I recently read an article about natural ways of birth control and became very interested. I decided that getting off my birth control was the best health choice I could make (after 13 straight years of being on it). I ordered both of your books and just got Honoring Our Cycles and started reading it immediately. I know that taking your temperature in the morning before you get out of bed is one of the main point of charting. My question is how long do I need to have slept before I take my temperature? Unfortunately I wake up quite a few times during the night and morning hours. My normal wake up time is 730am but sometimes I might have to wake up 1/2 an hour to an hour earlier to let the dog out and then I'm back to bed. I'm wondering if this kind of a routine is going to mess with my temperature? Do I need to have so many hours of sleep before I take my temperature?

Thanks for any help!

My response:

I congratulate you on taking a step toward what you think will improve your health. Please be gentle with yourself as you come off of the Pill and your body returns to natural cycling. You might get confusing signals for a while; you might not. It's a time to discover what truly nourishes you and your body.

When taking your temperature, try to be as consistent as possible. You should take it before you get out of bed and before you let your dog out. On your chart, mark the time that you take your temperature. If you notice significant differences in temperatures that are say, an hour apart, then you might try waking every morning at 6:30 so that you get a consistent
reading.

This sounds sort of muddled. Just do the best you can and take it before you get out bed. Technically, the basal temperature is your body's temperature after three hours of rest.

You didn't ask, but given that you've been on the Pill for 13 years, I'll encourage you to read the chapters about food and night lighting in both of my books. They have good information that can help you nourish your body after you've been on the Pill.

Best of luck,

Katie Singer