Cervical mucus is secreted from glands found in and around the cervix. Hormonal changes throughout a woman’s reproductive cycle affect the amount and consistency with the mucus. Cervical mucus may also be called cervical fluids.
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The job of cervical mucus would be to either:
- Prevent things from entering inside uterus through the cervix
- To nourish and also assist transport sperm through the cervix to the uterus
Fertile cervical mucus can be really a clue that ovulation is currently coming. Your vaginal discharge is more fertile when it resembles raw egg whites. This really is actually the best time for you to have sex in the event you want to get pregnant.
You can predict it by checking and tracking cervical mucus changes. It’s true, this can definitely mean looking and (usually) touching your vaginal discharge. You may come to feel squeamish about this, however it’s your body. Knowing the way your body works can be empowering. You learn how to become aware of where you come within your cycle so when you’re going to ovulate. It really becomes second nature!
Understanding the Connection Between Ovulation and Cervical Mucus
If you already track your basal body temperature (BBT), adding cervical mucus tracking can be just a good idea. Your basal body temperature (that will be your temperature in complete rest) increases when you ovulate. That is caused by the increase in the hormone progesterone.
Your BBT will let you know whether so when you ovulated after it happened. But when you want to get pregnant, you need to have sex before ovulation. Cervical mucus changes can let you know before you ovulate. This information can actually allow you to time sex on your pregnancy.
Just before ovulation occurs, the hormone estrogen results in increased cervical mucus and changes it to some stretchy, viscous-like substance. This helps sperm survive and float.
After ovulation, the hormone causes cervical mucus to become sticky and thick. This stops sperm (and every foreign substance) from getting through the uterus.
As ovulation approaches, your cervical mucus changes out of a consistency that is perhaps not sperm-friendly to an even more fertile selection. Even though everyone’s body is different, the general changes that cervical mucus goes through are:
Menstruation (that isn’t cervical mucus, however you will not be able to detect it when you’re menstruating anyway)
- Dry or sticky
- To creamy like cream
- To wet and watery
- Into some raw egg white consistency
- Afterward, back to dry and sticky
- Until menstruation again
When your cervical mucus will be from the wet or raw egg white consistency period, ovulation is approaching. This really is actually the best time for you to have sex in the event you want to get pregnant.
How to Check Your Cervical Mucus?
- First, wash and dry your handson.
- Find a comfortable position, either by sitting on your toilet, squatting, or standing and putting up one leg on the bathtub border or toilet seat.
- Reach 1 finger inside your vagina; your index or middle finger is probably best. (Be careful to not scratch yourself) Depending how much cervical mucus you’re producing, you may well not need to reach so much, however getting a sample from near your cervix is ideal.
- Remove your finger in your vagina and observe that the consistency of whatever mucus you find.
Do so by both looking at the mucus and also rolling what you will find between 2 fingers (usually your thumb and index finger). Consider pressing your fingers together and slowly moving them apart.
When what you find seems sticky, or findings are somewhat scant, you’re probably not ovulating yet.
If what you find will be creamy, ovulation may be coming, however, perhaps not just yet.
If what you find will be wet, watery, and slightly stretchy, ovulation is quite likely close. Find time to get some baby-making sex.
When what you find is quite wet, stretches between your fingers to get an inch or more, and also resembles a raw egg white, your cervical mucus is quite fertile. Ovulation is right around the corner, now will be the ideal time for intercourse.
- If you’re charting your BBTthen you should mark down in your graph your cervical mucus findings. Abbreviations often used are S for stickyVitamin C for creamy, W for wet, and EW (or EWCM) for egg-white cervical mucus.
Tips for Checking Cervical Mucus
Don’t test your cervical mucus during or right after sex.
Additionally, keep away from checking when you’re feeling sexually aroused. Arousal fluids aren’t exactly the same as fertile cervical mucus, however you probably wont be able to distinguish the difference. Checking after sex can be a poor idea as it’s too easy to confuse semen with cervical secretions.
You can check your cervical mucus by looking at the toilet paper along with your underwear.
Perhaps not everyone is comfortable by putting their finger inside to check on themselves. However, that you don’t have to. You can instead pay attention to just how wet your vulva feels a day-to-day basis, pay attention to this discharge in your underwear, or examine the toilet paper after urination. That really is also, in fact, an entire method based on this: the Billings Ovulation Method. With that said, however, it’s easier for several women to physically assess themselves and reach inside.
Consider checking your cervical mucus after bowel movements.
Of course, first, wash your hands well! But in case you have trouble finding cervical mucus, it may be easier after having a bowel movement.
Using a bowel movement goes down some vaginal discharge closer into the entrance of your vagina.
In the event that you never get fertile quality cervical mucus, tell your doctor.
Lacking fertile quality cervical mucus can become described as a sign of a hormonal imbalance or fertility problem. Cervical mucus which doesn’t become fertile is sometimes referred to as hostile cervical mucus.
You may observe fertile cervical mucus again right before your period.
Some women notice their cervical mucus becomes wet or almost egg white-like again right before menstruation. Obviously, that isn’t a sign of impending ovulation. Women sometimes wonder when getting a great deal of cervical mucus just before their period will be actually a possible early pregnancy sign.
Even the fact of the matter is that it’s almost impossible to distinguish the difference between “Early pregnancy” cervical mucus along with regular “Just before your period comes” cervical mucus.
