Body Tempture

Mine has been that way my whole life. I don't know how normal it is, but I've never had any problems with it. My son's is always 97.5, too.

it's perfectly normal.
mine hovers around 97.4 while my daughters is generally around 98.2 instead of 98.6...not a big deal...your metabolism is just different from that of the "average" persons and it causes us to all have slightly different normal body temeratures

Majorie,

My body temp has always been around 96.8. When it actually gets to 98.6, then I have a fever. I am almost 40 and I have always had a low body temp. 98.6 is NOT a true norm -- it is an average. Everyone has a different body temp which is normal to them. I do not nor have ever had low blood pressure, anemia, liver problems or problems with my thyroid (and tests have been run more than once to make sure).

My son (2-1/2 yers-old) has always had a higher body temp than mine (as did his father) which made it a bit more difficult to tell if he had a fever or not. Unlucky for him, he had to turn over for the thermometer probably a little more than necessary for me to be sure.

S.

Hey M.,

I too have always had a low temperature and have always chalked it up to being somewhat small and anemic. However, that is a guessI I have no idea. I am a fairly healthy individual as I don't get sick often and healthy enough to chase down two kids ages 4 and 9.

Great question, it never even occurred to me to ask my doctor. Maybe we'll both learn something. But hey... your not alone!

CJ

it is quite normal but it can and usually is a sign of low blood pressure or anemia. Do you find yourself tired very often for no good reason?
It's usually not serious even if this is the case... I doc once told me that he generally isn't concerned about low BP unless it is extreme or if the patient is elderly. and anemia,in most cases, can be treated at home with iron pills, or a high iron diet (spinach, fish, red meat, brocolli, etc...)

I do remember being told by a doctor that the 98.6 is not a set-in-concrete number for everyone, it is more like a target. When I get a sinus infection, my temp drops! It has never gone below 97.0 but that reading is normal for me. My daughter's does the same thing. My hubby thought our thermometers were broken, and I was like, sorry, that is just how we are!

I don't know about the other person's comment that she was small having anything to do with the low body temp. I am over 5'9" so that kind of knocks that theory out of the water, lol!

Hi M.,
I have this problem as well. There are a couple of things that cause my body temp to be so low... 1. I am very anemic, 2. I have low blood pressure, except during pregnanacy (during which it is very high.) 3. I have been asked if I take over the counter diet pills, which I do. That can also cause a reduction in body temperature. You may want to talk to your doctor and see if there is not a medical reason for this. Try taking iron and if all that fails...Drink lots of HOT CHOCOLATE :) That works wonders. Stay warm!
Hope this helps,
J.

Also hyprothyroidsm, which is very common and not diagnosed much in woman unless you ask about it. I have it and my temparture is always 96. It is not a problem, and neither is the hypothyroidism - there are natural and medical supplements to address this.

Hey M., I have had a low body temp all of my 52 years and it is "normal" for me. If my temp reaches 98 then I to have a fever. Most doctors or nurses have a hard time with this because it is not what they consider normal. There are many things that my body does differently tho. I learn to adjust to it and educate the health professionals that I go to about the problems. For instance, with kidney infections I do not hurt or have yellow urine. If my urine is clear, I have an infection. After running many test and seeing that I was not mistaken, my doctor now understands when I go to them what I am saying is correct. The same with my low temp. We just have to know our body and educate others about what is going on with us. What ever you do don't let others make you think you are wrong about what you are going thru. Just because it may not fit the discription of what the "normal" symptoms are, does not mean it is not real for you.... Good luck and God Bless.....

average "normal" is 98.6 so - you sound normal to me :) I like to look at www.webmd.com for medical sort of questions. It is a great site.

Almost every biological trait like temperature, cholesterol, blood pressure, is a range because what may be normal for one person is abnormal for another. In Anatomy we see anatomical differences in many people (extra veins, missing organs, extra tissues) and we cannot immediately cal them abnormal until we find something ary in the laboratory. Your temperature is based on your metabolic rate and should be consitent for you and it should fall within the range (like a statistical confidence interval) of the average for humans. Younger children do have a slightly elevated body temp due to the rapid development that is occuring. Hope this helps =)

Here is a very detailed weblink: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/LenaWong.shtml

A core temp of 97.8 or lower upon waking can be a sign of hypothyroidism. Some types of hypothyroidism run in the family (Hashimoto's Autoimmune Hypothyroidism) and some can be trigged by environmental factors such as having children. I would suggest that you do a search on a site such as WebMD and see if there are any other symptoms that you might not even realize are related such a dehydration and plantar fascitis.

Hi M.,
I had the same problem, and went to the Hotze Wellness Center in Katy , Texas, and they are an all natural center. They ran many tests on me , and found that I have hypothyroid disease.
I now take thyroid medicine, and feel great. Maybe check with your local doctor and see what he or she says about this test. Thanks , J. Pedersen Lake Charles, La.

It may be that you just drank something that is cold if you are taking your tempature by mouth. You always wait at least 5 minute after you have drank anything to take it.

Yes my normal is 96.8 and same with all 3 of my kids. So when I take them to the doctor,due to sickness they will say well they aren't running a fever at least and I will (at first anyway) say their normal is 96.8. Which the actual normal body temperature is 98.6. It is weird I know but when they are sick you just have to watch their temp more than normal. K.