Recommended BBT Thermometers
When using the Symptothermal Method of Fertility Awareness, a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer is required. A BBT thermometer is a highly sensitive thermometer that measures accurately to two decimal places. This is important because the changes that you are looking to identify while charting can be as small as 0.2°C/0.4°F. Your basal body temperature is your lowest core body temperature achieved during rest and usually occurs around 4am in the morning. As most of us don’t want to be waking up at 4am every morning, we take our waking temperature a few hours later instead. Most charters take their temperature orally, while others may opt to take their temperature vaginally.
When searching for a thermometer, you need to make sure that:
- You purchase a BBT thermometer that measures accurately to two decimal places
- You purchase a BBT thermometer and not a standard fever thermometer (even though many standard fever thermometers will display two decimal places, they do not measure accurately enough to be used as a BBT thermometer)
You will find that most pharmacies stock BBT thermometers. If the pharmacist doesn’t know what you mean when you say you’re looking for a basal body temperature thermometer, try asking for an “ovulation thermometer”.
Lastly, never swap thermometers (or the route you take your temperature) mid-cycle.
Do you have a favourite basal body temperature thermometer that has served you well? I would love to hear about it – please use the Contact Form at the bottom of this website to let me know!
AFFORDABLE OPTIONS
SurgiPack Ovulation Digital Thermometer
AUSTRALIA
Here on the Gold Coast of Australia, my local pharmacy stocks the SurgiPack Ovulation Digital Thermometer 6335 or SurgiPack Ovulation Digital Thermometer 6332 for AU$20. It’s as simple as walking into the pharmacy and grabbing one!
The SurgiPack Ovulation Digital Thermometer has always served me well. It’s affordable, durable, has a great battery life, and is a very dependable option if you are on a budget.
Keep in mind that it does not have a backlight, so you’ll need to turn your light on in the morning to see your temperature.
It claims to store the last temperature in memory, to display the next time the thermometer is turned on. To be honest, I have found this function to be quite unreliable – so be sure to record your temperature on your chart straight away if you don’t want to lose your reading. I actually input my temperature into my phone by sending it to myself as an SMS each morning – a great way to also note the time you took your temperature, too 😊
Fertility2Family Digital Basal Thermometer
AUSTRALIA
Fertility2Family is a great Australian company based in Tasmania. Their Fertility2Family Digital Basal Thermometer was one of the only thermometers that remained in stock throughout the pandemic here in Australia.
Keep in mind that it does not have a backlight, so you’ll need to turn your light on in the morning to see your temperature.
Keep in mind that it does not have an internal memory so cannot store more than a single temperature at a time. I actually input my temperature into my phone by sending it to myself as an SMS each morning – this can be a great way to also note the time you took your temperature, too 😊
MABIS Basal Digital Thermometer
UNITED STATES
The MABIS Basal Digital Thermometer is an affordable, reliable, and low cost option.
Keep in mind that it does not have a backlight, so you’ll need to turn your light on in the morning to see your temperature.
Keep in mind that it does not have an internal memory so cannot store more than a single temperature at a time. I actually input my temperature into my phone by sending it to myself as an SMS each morning – this can be a great way to also note the time you took your temperature, too 😊
iProven Basal Body Thermometer
UNITED STATES
The iProven Basal Body Thermometer is an affordable, reliable, and low cost option.
Keep in mind that it does not have a backlight, so you’ll need to turn your light on in the morning to see your temperature.
Keep in mind that it does not have an internal memory so cannot store more than a single temperature at a time. I actually input my temperature into my phone by sending it to myself as an SMS each morning – this can be a great way to also note the time you took your temperature, too 😊
Easy@Home Smart Basal Thermometer
UNITED STATES
The Easy@Home Smart Basal Thermometer is in a slightly higher price range. It has a large screen and a backlight so that you won’t need to squint or turn on a light early in the morning.
This thermometer syncs to the Premom app, which is not recommended for Symptothermal Method charting; however, you can simply record your temperatures on your paper chart each day. Alternatively, you can input your temperatures manually into a more suitable app each morning (the Read Your Body app is my recommended charting app).
HIGH END OPTIONS
Femometer Vinca II
The Femometer Vinca II is a premium option and is very well suited for charting with the Symptothermal Method. It’s best to grab their Vinca II model which includes a screen for you to see your temperature (earlier models required you to sync the thermometer with their app to see your temperature each day). In addition to this, the Vinca II allows you to select from three different options for the duration of time it will assess your BBT:
1.) Fast Mode (30 seconds)
2.) Normal Mode (1-1.5 minutes)
3.) Mercury Mode (3 minutes)
Mercury Mode is especially beneficial as the formal rules of many Symptothermal Methods do call for at least a 3-minute assessment of your BBT each morning.
With the Femometer Vinca II you can also adjust the beep volume either up or down, plus you can store up to 300 temperatures.
The Femometer Vinca II can be purchased in Australia from U-Buy website and in the United States from femometer.com
Tempdrop Smart Thermometer
The Tempdrop Smart Thermometer is a wearable thermometer worn in an armband each night. It intermittently takes your temperature throughout the night. It also measures environmental temperature changes and has a sensor to log movement/restlessness. An algorithm then assesses these values to deliver an accurate basal body temperature reading in the morning.
This allows Symptothermal Method users who have irregular wake times, or disrupted sleep cycles, to chart their temperatures.
Keep in mind that the effectiveness of the Symptothermal Method has only been researched using internal (oral) temperatures. Currently, we lack research as to the effectiveness of combining skin temperatures with the Symptothermal Method. As with all femtech devices, there are a range of pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to use the Tempdrop Smart Thermometer. You can read more here.
Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is designed to be worn on the finger continuously, and provides a range of health insights (such as resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration levels, temperature, and sleep data).
The Oura Ring does not provide absolute temperature values, but instead provides a daily “fluctuation value”. This makes it largely unsuitable for Symptothermal Method charting – it’s not something I recommend for anyone who has a strong need to prevent pregnancy.
With that said, it’s certainly an option for charters who are trying to conceive, just charting for health, or are more relaxed about risks of pregnancies. The Oura Ring is very popular and I receive a lot of questions about it – enough that I recorded an in-depth video covering everything you need to know about charting with the Oura Ring on my @fertilitycharting Instagram here.
A note on fertility tracking apps/devices
The world of femtech can be very overwhelming; there are a lot of beautiful apps/devices available, many of which have very bold marketing claims.
That said, there is not a single fertility tracking app or device on the market that can more accurately prevent pregnancy than the Symptothermal Method has been proven1 to do.
Before investing large sums of money in any fertility tracker, I recommend you read the below articles:
Natural Cycles FDA Approval; What’s The Big Deal?
5 Reasons I Don’t Use Daysy or Natural Cycles
[1]Frank-Herrmann P, Heil J, Gnoth C, Toledo E, Baur S, Pyper C, Jenetzky E, Strowitzki T, Freundl G. The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple’s sexual behaviour during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study. Hum Reprod. 2007 May;22(5):1310-9.
