As you may or may not be aware, cervical mucus, or as it’s commonly referred to, CM, plays an important role in the conception process. You might instead by familiar with the term cervical fluid or CF. Both terms are commonly used in TTC and fertility circles, and refer to the exact same thing. You decide which term you like best!
But first things first: what exactly is cervical mucus? Cervical mucus is simply a fluid secreted by the cervix, the production of which is stimulated by the hormone estrogen. Because cervical mucus serves as the medium in which sperm must live and travel on their journey to fertilize the egg, it is important that it be present in sufficient quantity and that it be “fertile quality” in nature.
Your cervical mucus undergoes characteristic changes throughout your cycle, and by observing these changes, you can gain valuable insight into your fertile status. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, “observing” your cervical mucus is a euphemism for putting your clean fingers in there and checking things out.
Here is the typical progression of cervical mucus quantity and quality you can expect to see throughout your cycle:
After Your Menstrual Period: Immediately following your period, there will likely be little CM present and a tendency toward “dryness”. Gradually, over the course of days, more mucus will become present and it will tend toward yellow, cloudy, or white in color, and be somewhat sticky to the touch.
As Your Ovulation Date Approaches: As your ovulation date draws near, your cervical mucus will increase in quantity and moistness. Color may be cream-like in appearance.
At the Time of Ovulation: Come ovulation time, the quantity of mucus present will hit its peak. Its consistency and color will tend toward being clear, slippery, and stretchy – much like the feel of an egg white. This is the “holy grail” of cervical mucus, typically referred to as fertile quality CM. Note that there are products designed to help encourage the production of fertile quality cervical mucus, such as FertileCM.
After Ovulation: After ovulation, the quantity of cervical mucus begins to decline and become thicker in consistency.
With OvaGraph, you’re able to input your cervical mucus status as it changes over the course of your cycle (ranging from dry – sticky – creamy – watery – egg white), providing you with yet another data point to help identify your most fertile time of month.
