Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Cervical Fluid - A Fertility Sign

Knowing what your fertile cervical fluid looks like gives you the best chance at knowing ovulation!

During your monthly cycle your cervix produces a lubricating fertile fluid. This fluid nourishes the sperm and helps it move through the vagina and cervix to the uterus. The Art of Natural Family Planning has an excellent and in-depth discussion of cervical fluid and how to use it to chart fertility. Taking Charge of Your Fertility has color pictures which provide a helpful reference about what cervical fluid looks like at each stage of fertility. These books are a good reference to have on hand as you try to conceive and they're helpful for years after baby is born.

The fluid changes depending on where you are in your cycle. When you are not fertile you may be completely dry. When you're fertile your fluid may resemble egg white - it's rich and stretchy and nourishes sperm as they travel towards your egg. There are several "stages" of cervical fluid that you can observe and note throughout your cycle.

Check your cervical fluid throughout the day by observing toilet tissue when you wipe after going to the bathroom. You'll be able to see what kind you have by paying attention each time you wipe. You may also see cervical fluid on your underwear and you can feel it with your fingers. Note what you feel as you're charting fertility for the day. If you see more than one type on the same day, record it by the most fertile fluid you saw that day.

Here are some of the cervical fluid types you may observe:

• Dry: You can put this on your charts if you have no fluid (note you will almost always have some slight vaginal moisture). This occurs when you are non-fertile and you will most likely observe it just after your period and after you have ovulated.
• Tacky: If your fluid is "sticky" or "gummy" or if it seems dry-ish, this is a stage moving towards more fertile fluid but this fluid itself is not very fertile. Lots of women desribe this stage like the rubber cement they used in school!
• Milky: This creamy cervical fluid is one of the easiest to notice. It will be somewhat like milk in color, or mayonnaise. You'll still find that it breaks pretty easily. As you move to more fertile days it may lose some of the creamy consistency and become more watery.
• Egg-White: Stretchy and thick like an egg white is your most fertile fluid. You'll see this fluid just prior to and during ovulation. For some women it's more watery, but for many it is stretchy. This is the best time to have intercourse to get pregnant.

Each day when you observe your cervical fluid you can record the type of fluid you see on your chart. When your fluid becomes fertile you should begin having intercourse to conceive. Your temperature will confirm when ovulation occurs. After your temperature shifts your cervical fluid will probably dry up almost immediately.

You can record your cervical fluid on on paper chart using a letter to notate type. You can also use charting software to keep track of your fluid. I use Ovusoft - if you like to be able to visualize your fertility building you'll like this software - it records cervical fluid in a way that shows you how your fluid gets progressively more fertile. Click the chart picture to view a sample of one of my charts to see what I'm talking about.

Have you found that your fluid doesn't seem to get to egg-white? Or have you noticed that you need a lubricant during intercourse? If this is the case for you, you'll want to try Pre-Seed - this personal lubricant makes lovemaking more comfortable - and it's proven to nourish sperm and enhance the possibility of conception.