PRODUCT REVIEW: Life Brand BBT

For my first Review Id like to discuss the:

LIFE BRAND BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE THERMOMETER

The Brand:  LIFE Brand - made for Shoppers Drug Mart - Canada.  I choose this product because it was the only one on the shelf.  I had a heck of a time finding a BBT thermometer to begin with.   You can only get LIFE products at SDM, however I'm sure there are tons of other brands

The Product: The product is light weight, easy to read screen which displays the result in Celsius.   It has a 1' inch screen displaying a double decimal number ie. 36.62C.  The thermometer itself is pink {was the only colour available}.  One easy button to turn on and off and holding the button will show its memory of the previous temp taken.  The battery is easily accessible from the end of the thermometer with easy removal. It comes with a clear probe case as well as a booklet with charts for the buyer's use.  Instruction manual included. 

Background Info and Reading Your Data:  BBT's is a tool used in fertility and family planning.   It helps to determine ovulation and a temperature change is evident after ovulation has occurred.   Although it doesn't tell you in advance when ovulation is imminent, it does however give you an overall picture on what your ovulation cycle says.   When you take your temperature you do it every AM - at the same time each day and prior to doing ANYTHING else.  This includes getting up, walking, moving, and even  talking.   You can even go back to sleep after if needed so pick an appropriate time and write down results right away!  I learned that it can be hard to do this from memory since i lost a few temps doing that.   I personally will enter the data on my cell phone!  You may also use the products memory however this will only store one temp!

Here is my chart and temperatures using this product for the month of April:

The red cross lines show were i had ovulated on CD 18.  All the temperatures after that were "above" the line and consistently higher.   The charting/temping process is also useful in determination of imminent menses/period.  When there is a significant DROP in temperature during the post ovulation phase, you will likely have your period in the next day or two.   In the case of my chart i had a huge drop on May 1st and did get my cycle on May 2nd.  The best days to conceive would have been the days before Cycle Day 18. 

For comparison sakes here is my chart for Feb and is quite similar:

PRO's of this product:
double digit results
- protective case
- sample charts and blank charts for buyer's use
- effective in showing predicting ovulation and menstrual cycles

CON's of this product:
- slow result time - takes over a minute and that's hard to do early in the morning
- no prob covers included
- memory: only stores one reading. BE CAREFUL when obtaining a memory reading, it is easy to erase/lose the reading so only look at it if your ready to record it!

My thoughts on this product:
I was satisfied with this product.  The only problem i had was losing readings from the memory.  My toddler actually pressed the button on a few occasions {he is fascinated with the darn thing} and i lost data.  Its easy to use, easy to read and overall fulfilled its purpose.  I have only done 2 full cycles of temping but my ovulation days were close and were CD 17 in Feb and CD 18 in April.   I will definitely continue to use this product!  I would recommend this product and the art of chart/temping to anyone who is TTC!

~~~For more information on this thermometer or to buy - visit your local Shoppers Drug Mart Canada.  Any personal questions may be directed to myself.  For more information on Charting and Temping visit my personal favourite site Fertility Friend!~~