cervical mucus
pregnancy help, infertility information, infertility resources
Topic :Cervical Mucus
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The cells that line the walls of the cervical canal produce mucus. When menstruation occurs the mucus undergoes a change. It gets slippery and moist. Checking cervical mucus can be done using the fingertip. When mucus secretes one can sense it by the vulva i.e. the vaginal lips. The feeling is similar like that of a beginning of a menstruation cycle. The feeling can include absolute dryness or extreme moistness, stickiness, wetness, slipperiness. |
You can also check the mucus by its appearance. Use toilet tissue to wipe the vulva. The moistness gets blotted leaving the mucus atop the tissue. The colour could be white or cream or even opaque or absolutely clear. Often after washing undergarments cervical mucus can be observed, which dries off altering its characteristics to a certain extent.
Use your fingers (i.e. the index finger and the thumb) to check what signs your mucus is revealing. The mucus could be sticky and break-off easily or even smooth. It could also be slippery like the white of an egg and stretch between your fingers for up to several inches before it breaks. This stretchiness defines the mucus as highly fertile. If you cannot check your mucus then you should experiment it once the bowel movement is over.
How mucus affects the fertility cycles
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Pre-ovulation – The infertile phase After the menstrual cycle dry days follow. In the case of short cycles these days may be absent and could be plentiful in long cycles. A dry feeling envelops the vulva and the mucus is not visible. Approaching ovulation – the fertile phase Oestogen levels increase with the onset of menstruation. The rise in its levels leads to increase in mucus. A moist or sticky feeling can be sensed in the beginning and a scanty amount of mucus in white or creamy colour is seen to secrete. This mucus breaks-off easily when held by fingertips but its shape is clearly visible. Blobs of mucus keep increasing as the cycle approaches. It can increase to ten times more as the Oestogen levels increase. The vulva feels very slippery at this stage as the mucus lubricates it. Here the fertile mucus can be observed. It stretches within the fingertips. |
Fertile mucus is the home to fertility. It allows the sperm to pass freely into the cervix. It lets the sperm live for up to 3 and sometimes up to 5 days or even longer.
The peak day
When the mucus can be seen and felt and is highly slippery and stretchy it indicates the peak day of the fertile mucus.
Post-ovulation
After the peak day passes the vulva once again feels absolutely dry. This is due to the progesterone secretion that acts as a barrier to any penetrating sperm.
The mucus differs
Every woman secretes different levels of mucus and it also differs from one menstruation cycle to another. However any major deviation should be alerted to the doctor.