How Cervical Mucus Changes with Ovulation
As your body moves through it's monthly fertility cycle, your vaginal secretions can give you hints about when you are mostly likely to get pregnant. Cervical mucus (often shortened to CM) is your body's natural way to make your vagina, cervix, and fallopian tubes a suitable environment for sperm, leading and shielding the sperm while they travel to your fallopian tubes where they may fertilize your egg.
Cervical secretions change through your menstrual cycle and can be an excellent sign of fertility. When you are not close to ovulation, mucus is usually absent completely. You may first notice moisture in your vulva several days after your period stops and your cycle begins to progress towards ovulation. When ovulation is imminent, cervical mucus becomes abundant. After ovulation passes, the mucus disappears until your next cycle.
The easiest way to track your cervical mucus is by routinely observing your secretions and recording your findings in a preconception journal. You will start to see patterns that will help you guess the most likely day ovulation will occur and then choose optimal times to make love in order to conceive. If you are concerned your body doesn't organically create a sufficient amount of cervical mucus, there may be ways to increase your cervical mucus.
To check your cervical mucus, put a clean finger into your vagina and sweep the area getting as close to your cervix as you can. Your cervix alters position throughout your cycle, so on occasion it will be lower and not difficult to reach and in other circumstances it may be out of reach. Don't worry if you can't make contact with your cervix, just go as far as comfortable, taking care not to hurt yourself. You may be better able to reach your cervix if you are resting on a toilet, get into a squat, or with a leg up on the toilet seat or edge of the tub. When you take away your finger, rub the CM between your thumb and forefinger and determine the color, texture, and stretchiness.
Cervical Mucus Soon After Your Menstruation
Immediately following your menstruation, you may not perceive any vaginal secretions at all, or it may be scant and sticky. It is usually without color and hard to find at this time. Your vaginal canal will feel dry both on the inside and to the touch. You are not fertile during this time period.
Cervical Secretions Nearing Ovulation
As you approach ovulation, your cervical secretions will become thicker, white or yellowish, and creamy. When you move the CM between your finger and thumb, it has a comparable feel and appearance to hand lotion. It will break apart easily when you spread your fingers. You are not likely to conceive during this time period, but bear in mind sperm can live inside of you for up to 5 days, so there is a small chance you could conceive if you make love now, even if ovulation is still a few days away.
Cervical fluid should NOT have a strong smell or be accompanied by irritation or sting. This discharge, akin in color and texture and often mistaken for cervical fluid, may signal a vaginal infection which is quite common and easily treatable by your physician.
Vaginal Secretions During Ovulation
As you rapidly advance towards your most fertile time, your cervical fluid will become abundant. Your vulva feels very wet and secretions may be seen in your panties or on the toilet paper when you clean yourself. Your cervical secretions will be much thinner, more watery, slippery, clear to slightly cloudy, and especially stretchy. It will look like uncooked egg whites and is regularly called “Egg White Cervical Mucus” or seen written as EWCM. It will stretch between your thumb and fingers for a couple of inches without breaking apart.
This is your optimal chance to get pregnant! Have sexual intercourse daily when you notice egg white cervical mucus to enhance your odds of conceiving.
It's easy to be misled by the "excess” secretion of seminal fluid from your vulva and confuse it with fertile CM. The feel and appearance are very similar. It may take some time to tell the two apart, but if you notice what looks like EW cervical mucus at a time in your fertility cycle when you think it should be absent, this may perhaps be the cause.
Vaginal Secretions Post Ovulation
Right after you ovulate, your cervical secretions will once again become thickened, cloudy, and tacky. They could disappear completely before your period begins. Your vaginal canal will return to feeling dry and you most likely won't find much mucus when you clean yourself. You are probably not going to become pregnant after ovulation has occurred. If you missed your fertile window this month, you'll have to wait until next month for your next chance to conceive a baby.
Cervical secretions change through your menstrual cycle and can be an excellent sign of fertility. When you are not close to ovulation, mucus is usually absent completely. You may first notice moisture in your vulva several days after your period stops and your cycle begins to progress towards ovulation. When ovulation is imminent, cervical mucus becomes abundant. After ovulation passes, the mucus disappears until your next cycle.
The easiest way to track your cervical mucus is by routinely observing your secretions and recording your findings in a preconception journal. You will start to see patterns that will help you guess the most likely day ovulation will occur and then choose optimal times to make love in order to conceive. If you are concerned your body doesn't organically create a sufficient amount of cervical mucus, there may be ways to increase your cervical mucus.
To check your cervical mucus, put a clean finger into your vagina and sweep the area getting as close to your cervix as you can. Your cervix alters position throughout your cycle, so on occasion it will be lower and not difficult to reach and in other circumstances it may be out of reach. Don't worry if you can't make contact with your cervix, just go as far as comfortable, taking care not to hurt yourself. You may be better able to reach your cervix if you are resting on a toilet, get into a squat, or with a leg up on the toilet seat or edge of the tub. When you take away your finger, rub the CM between your thumb and forefinger and determine the color, texture, and stretchiness.
Cervical Mucus Soon After Your Menstruation
Immediately following your menstruation, you may not perceive any vaginal secretions at all, or it may be scant and sticky. It is usually without color and hard to find at this time. Your vaginal canal will feel dry both on the inside and to the touch. You are not fertile during this time period.
Cervical Secretions Nearing Ovulation
As you approach ovulation, your cervical secretions will become thicker, white or yellowish, and creamy. When you move the CM between your finger and thumb, it has a comparable feel and appearance to hand lotion. It will break apart easily when you spread your fingers. You are not likely to conceive during this time period, but bear in mind sperm can live inside of you for up to 5 days, so there is a small chance you could conceive if you make love now, even if ovulation is still a few days away.
Cervical fluid should NOT have a strong smell or be accompanied by irritation or sting. This discharge, akin in color and texture and often mistaken for cervical fluid, may signal a vaginal infection which is quite common and easily treatable by your physician.
Vaginal Secretions During Ovulation
As you rapidly advance towards your most fertile time, your cervical fluid will become abundant. Your vulva feels very wet and secretions may be seen in your panties or on the toilet paper when you clean yourself. Your cervical secretions will be much thinner, more watery, slippery, clear to slightly cloudy, and especially stretchy. It will look like uncooked egg whites and is regularly called “Egg White Cervical Mucus” or seen written as EWCM. It will stretch between your thumb and fingers for a couple of inches without breaking apart.
This is your optimal chance to get pregnant! Have sexual intercourse daily when you notice egg white cervical mucus to enhance your odds of conceiving.
It's easy to be misled by the "excess” secretion of seminal fluid from your vulva and confuse it with fertile CM. The feel and appearance are very similar. It may take some time to tell the two apart, but if you notice what looks like EW cervical mucus at a time in your fertility cycle when you think it should be absent, this may perhaps be the cause.
Vaginal Secretions Post Ovulation
Right after you ovulate, your cervical secretions will once again become thickened, cloudy, and tacky. They could disappear completely before your period begins. Your vaginal canal will return to feeling dry and you most likely won't find much mucus when you clean yourself. You are probably not going to become pregnant after ovulation has occurred. If you missed your fertile window this month, you'll have to wait until next month for your next chance to conceive a baby.
