Note: this article applies to Cyclers using the app with a basal thermometer. If you use a wearable device, please refer to the Oura or Apple Watch sections of Cyclerpedia.
If your child wakes you up several times at night, we recommend that you try to measure your temperature after your longest stretch of sleep, regardless of when that is. Always measure before you get out of bed, drink water, or sit up.
If you've had an especially rough night, you should exclude the temperature the next morning.
If you have to exclude temperatures, Natural Cycles' effectiveness as a birth control will not be affected. Logging less temperature data means that you will experience more red days, where protection is needed, which may reduce your satisfaction with Natural Cycles. Learn more here.
You can combine your temperature measurements with LH tests if you have a significant temperature variation, which can help the algorithm narrow down your fertile window.
If you are measuring with an NC° Thermometer Gen1 and the beep is disturbing your family's sleep, this article may be helpful.
Note: If you’re struggling with your measuring routine, know that you now have the option to use Natural Cycles with one of our approved wearable devices (the Oura Ring and the Apple Watch). When using Natural Cycles with a wearable device, your temperature data gets measured overnight while you sleep. This means that you no longer need to remember to take your temperature before getting out of bed in the morning! Learn more about using Natural Cycles with the Oura Ring here, and with the Apple Watch here.