Body Temperature

Temperature Measurement

Why It Is Done

Body temperature is checked to:

• Detect fever.
• Detect abnormally low body temperature (hypothermia) in people who have been exposed to cold.
• Detect abnormally high body temperature (hyperthermia) in people who have been exposed to heat.
• Help monitor the effectiveness of a fever-reducing medicine.
• Help plan for pregnancy by determining if a woman is ovulating.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: March 5, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Donald Sproule, MD, CM, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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