Monitoring Cervical Mucus

What is Cervical Mucus?

There are many different types of vaginal discharge, one of which is cervical mucus. The type of mucus your body produces provides clues to your fertility. You can check your cervical mucus using either your fingers or toilet paper. On days when you're not fertile, the mucus from your cervix is either light or sticky (about the same texture as sticky rice). During the few days leading up to ovulation, when you're most fertile, you'll have more discharge - clear and slippery with the consistency of raw egg white. It should also be stretchy and you should be able to pull it with your fingers. You are most fertile on the last day you notice cervical mucus of this kind. It usually happens either the day before, or the day of, ovulation.

The change in volume and texture of your cervical mucus is due to the increase in estrogen levels that accompanies ovulation. After ovulation, progesterone abruptly suppresses the peak mucus and the mucus pattern continues with sticky mucus for a day or two, and then returns to dryness. Clomid changes cervical mucus patterns on an individual basis, so you might have to get used to a new pattern in terms of buildup of mucus and interpretations of peak mucus. Clomid can also prevent your cervical mucus from reaching the egg white like consistency needed to help sperm swim to meet your egg. If you are taking this ovulation stimulating drug then talk to your doctor about your cervical mucus concerns.

How to Check Your Cervical Mucus

There are 3 ways you can do this: using toilet paper or your fingers across the opening of your vagina, wearing a panty liner (which is sometimes hard to detect) or inserting your finger into your vagina. Chart your cervical mucus's consistency. You may also want to monitor its texture throughout the day. You should be able to easily see a pattern and know when your body is at its most fertile time.

You may also want to chart your cervical mucus inconjunction with charting your basal body temperature. In addition, you can use an ovulation test kit which can help you to pinpoint ovulation and the best times to have conception sex. Good luck in your quest to get pregnant!

Share your ups and downs about the trying to conceive process at Pregnancy Stories. From cervical mucus to charting your basal body temperature to that positive pregnancy test, impart your knowledge about getting pregnant with other women also trying to conceive.

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