Often referred to as the ovulation method, the cervical mucus method is a means of determining your fertility by making yourself aware of any changes or differences in your cervical mucus at different points in the month. You may not know it, but the same hormones that are in charge of your menstrual cycle also change both the amount and type of cervical mucus present both before and during your ovulation. When your period first ends, you will also experience what are known as dry days, or days when there isn’t any mucus present. As your egg begins maturing, while or yellow sticky mucus will increase within the vagina. Right before ovulation, you will experience what are known as wet days, when cervical mucus is slippery and clear and has the appearance of raw egg whites. It can often be stretched apart. These wet days indicate your most fertile time.
Why Use This Method?
This method is quite accurate in determining fertility, as mucus is a clear indicator of where you are in your ovulation cycle. It is easy to do, it has no monetary cost, and it does not cause any side effects, making it ideal for many families or women trying to conceive.
How to Use This Method
Start on the day after menstruation ends, and observe and report your cervical secretions on a calendar. Record the color (cloudy, yellow, white, or clear), the consistency (stretchy, thick, or sticky), and the feel (slippery, dry, or wet) and write it on your calendar or chart. Keeping in mind that you are most fertile when you have abundant stretchy, clear, slippery cervical mucus, use these times to plan conception. Ovulation typically occurs on your last wet day, making it your peak day for fertility. It is important to remember that sperm can stay alive within the reproductive tract for up to five days.
The cervical mucus method is an effective means of planning fertility. It can be even more effective when coupled with either the calendar method, the basal body temperature method, or better still, both. The combination of all three methods will give you a very clear indicator of when you are most fertile so that you can properly plan conception. Learning to track your cervical mucus can be intimidating at first, but you will get the hang of it quickly.
