Everything you want to know about cervical mucus and fertility (and don't dare ask)
When we talk about female fertility, there are many things to take into account: diet, physical exercise, weight... But does cervical mucus have anything to do with the chances of conceiving?
What is fertile cervical mucus?
This bodily fluid, so interesting, intelligent and as useful as many others in the body, is a topic that is too little covered.
Maybe because of social taboo? Due to excessive sexualization of female physiology? Maybe because of cultural heritage?
Be that as it may, even today, platforms like Instagram block publications that show the different types of cervical mucus that women who have doubts, who ask questions, who want to know more...
It appears that these photos violate the platform's policy on “nudity and pornography.”
In medical universities, special attention is not paid to the study of the modifications of this cervical mucus, which is why, in the long run, we end up lacking essential knowledge about how a woman's body works.
The woman's body offers signals about its functioning. It is interesting to leave aside everything other than knowledge of physiological processes to help us understand what happens at each moment of a woman's life cycle.
And, especially, if you are looking for a pregnancy, cervical mucus offers a lot of information to the woman to be able to act with knowledge about her fertile capacity and the days most likely to conceive.
Differences between cervical mucus and vaginal fluid
Cervical mucus is a fluid secreted by the cervix in response to a series of sex hormones. It is responsible for facilitating the path of sperm to the upper reproductive tract so that they can meet an egg and fertilize it.
Their appearance (color, texture) and the sensations of moisture or lubrication they produce in women depend on the levels of estrogen and progesterone during the cycle. As hormone levels change throughout the cycle, so does cervical mucus.
Monitoring this cervical mucus can be of great help to know where we are in the cycle. In terms of fertility, it is very useful to identify a woman's fertile days.
Vaginal discharge, for its part, is made up of cervical mucus and oils from the vaginal glands. So, Although cervical mucus is a component of vaginal discharge, vaginal discharge does not always contain cervical mucus..
In addition, a woman's vagina can secrete other types of fluids at certain moments of sexual stimulation, these are called arousal fluids. They are clear, moist and slippery and their main mission is to prepare the vaginal tract for possible penetration.
A key difference between arousal fluids and cervical mucus is that arousal fluids dry up and disappear within an hour.
Cervical mucus, ovulation and fertility
Cervical mucus changes in quantity, color and consistency depending on the time of the woman's menstrual cycle. Tracking and learning to understand these changes can help a woman identify her time of ovulation and, with it, also her fertile window.
The most fertile days for a woman are the five days before ovulation and the 24 hours after ovulation.
A 2004 study identified that cervical mucus-based methods of tracking fertility, as well as the basal body temperature method or urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) monitoring, can fairly accurately predict the chance of conception.
The study showed that the likelihood of conception was highest on days when the most fertile type of cervical mucus was present.
How to identify cervical mucus from each stage of the menstrual cycle
We have seen that different levels of hormones determine the characteristics of cervical mucus.
Cervical mucus in the first phase of the cycle
In the first phase of the cycle, estrogens are abundant. Increased estrogen levels stimulate the production of cervical secretions to facilitate the passage of sperm.
Cervical mucus after ovulation
After ovulation, in the second part of the cycle, progesterone is the most relevant hormone. With the aim of preventing sperm migration and the entry of potential pathogens, this hormone will cause the mucus to change texture and color, making the area somewhat less “practical.”
How to analyze cervical mucus
In order to analyze cervical mucus, it will be necessary to check the remains of mucus, either by looking at underwear or toilet paper, before urinating, or by using your fingers (index and middle) to collect a sample from the vagina.
It is important to pay attention to the color and texture of the liquid that remains between the fingertips.
Extra trick: If when you place your fingers with the cervical mucus in a glass of water, the mucus sticks to the fingers or, if there is a lot of it, falls to the bottom of the glass, it would be cervical mucus. If it were vaginal fluid, it would tend to dissolve little by little with water.
Types of cervical mucus during the menstrual cycle
These would be the different types of cervical mucus throughout the menstrual cycle:
Cervical mucus with your period: it is not seen correctly
When the period begins, a new cycle begins. As the days progress, the level of estrogen increases but, at the beginning of the period, the bleeding will not allow the changes in the cervical mucus to be correctly analyzed.
Cervical mucus right after your period: dryness
Estrogen is still on the rise but you probably won't feel much mucus yet.
The feeling of dryness after removing your period is normal. We will have to wait a few more days to notice the effects of estrogen more clearly.
Cervical mucus just before ovulation: sticky, white, creamy
Just before ovulation, a few days before the middle of the cycle, estrogen levels increase, so cervical mucus is already better appreciated.
It will become cloudier or stickier. At first, it may be thick and sticky before turning into something more moist and creamy, like a lotion.
It may look whitish or even yellowish (especially if it is dried on your underwear). In a 28-day menstrual cycle, you may first notice this fluid around day 9 or 10.
Cervical mucus on the day of ovulation: clear, stretchy, slippery (like egg white)
The peak of estrogen and the LH or luteinizing hormone generates the most fertile mucus, also called peak mucus.
The amount of fluid secreted is different for each woman but the texture will always be slippery, clear and elastic, similar to the white of a raw egg.
Ovulation is a short period. The half-life of an egg is between 12 and 24 hours, so to increase the fertility window we play with the useful life of the sperm, which can be between 3 and 6 days.
Sperm that enter the vagina before ovulation can be suspended in this fluid, allowing them to survive longer in the otherwise acidic vaginal environment. Don't miss more information about fertile days in this post that we published previously.
Cervical mucus after ovulation (luteal phase): sticky, dry.
After ovulation, due to the drop in estrogen, the mucus is likely to disappear. High levels of progesterone, the dominant hormone in this phase, act to inhibit fluid secretion from cervical epithelial cells. The fluid may become sticky or slimy, or simply dry and absent.
Keeping good track of cervical mucus can be challenging. At first you will think that you don't see any difference but as you practice, things improve.
Studies by the World Health Organization indicate that women's 93% can successfully identify and distinguish fertile and infertile cervical mucus by tracking it themselves.
In the next post you will discover methods to monitor cervical mucus and use it to improve your fertility.
It may interest you:
