Tracking Your Cervical Mucus to Determine Your Most Fertile Period

Tracking Your Cervical Mucus to Determine Your Most Fertile Period

The hormones that control your cycle also make the cervix produce mucus. It collects on the cervix and in the vagina. And it changes in quality and quantity just before and during ovulation. With personal instruction, many women can learn to recognize these changes. This method is also known as the ovulation method.

The Mucus Pattern

 

• During your period, your flow covers the mucus signs.
• After your period, there are usually a few days without mucus. These are called "dry days." These may be safe days if the cycle is long.
• When an egg starts to ripen, more mucus is produced. It appears at the opening of the vagina. It is generally yellow or white and cloudy. And it feels sticky or tacky.
• Usually, you will have the most mucus just before ovulation. It looks clear and feels slippery — like raw egg white. When it can be stretched between the fingers, it is called spinnbarkeit — German for stretchable. These are the "slippery days." It is the peak of your fertility.
• After about four slippery days, you may suddenly have less mucus. It will become cloudy and tacky again. And then you may have a few more dry days before your period starts. These are also safe days. 

 

Egg white cervical mucus

 

 

 So-called egg white cervical mucus is the most fertile of all CM types because it allows the sperm to swim easily into the cervix. Its consistency is similar to raw egg whites and it can stretch an inch or two without breaking in the middle.

Watery cervical mucus

 

 

Watery CM is second best for conception, after egg white CM. It allows sperm to move unhindered into the cervix, but doesn't make the sperm's job quite as easy. When you have watery CM, you may feel as though you've leaked urine in your underwear. Watery CM is clear in color and drips or runs off your fingers.

Creamy cervical mucus

 

 

Creamy CM is considered non-fertile because it greatly restricts the movement of sperm. Creamy CM can be a pearly white or creamy yellow. It's thick and feels like lotion when rubbed between the fingers.

Sticky cervical mucus

 

 

Sticky or tacky CM is the least fertile. It's thick and chunky and feels kind of like paste or like glue from a glue stick, making it hard for sperm to swim through.

Courtesy of babycenter.com