Question

A nurse is asked to teach a woman to take her basal body temperature daily to assess the time of ovulation. She can detect her day of ovulation, following ovulation, because her temperature will:

a) Decrease
b) Remain constant
c) Increase slightly
d) Fluctuate randomly

Answer 1

A woman's basal body temperature will increase slightly after ovulation due to a rise in progesterone levels. This can be used to confirm that ovulation has occurred as part of tracking fertility. A nurse teaching a woman to track her basal body temperature (BBT) to assess ovulation would inform her that post-ovulation, her temperature will c) Increase slightly.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse teaching a woman to track her basal body temperature (BBT) to assess ovulation would inform her that post-ovulation, her temperature will c) Increase slightly.

After ovulation, the body's progesterone levels rise, which causes a small but identifiable increase in BBT. Therefore, when a woman observes a consistent rise in her basal body temperature, it's an indication that ovulation has recently occurred. This is an important aspect of fertility awareness and is used to assess if and when a woman is ovulating, although it should be noted that by the time the BBT rises, the fertile window has likely passed.