How to Monitor Cervical Mucus to Predict Fertility

Changes in a woman's cervical mucus are nature's way of signalling where she is in her cycle of fertility.

Here's how:

  1. Purchase a small portable calendar or notepad with pen or pencil attached.
  2. Be prepared to check your cervical mucus (CM) consistency several times every day during each cycle.
  3. Using white tissue paper, wipe vaginal opening to obtain CM specimen, or
  4. Insert one clean finger into vagina as far up as the cervix, and then remove finger. CM should be observable on fingertip.
  5. If using tissue, apply a fingertip to collected CM and then pull gently away to test elasticity.
  6. If using finger, test CM elasticity by closing and again opening finger with thumb.
  7. Note the following:
  8. Elasticity of CM: (a) sticky and breaks easily or (b) slippery and stretches like raw egg white.
  9. Appearance of CM: scant amount vs. abundant, white vs. cloudy vs. clear, thick vs. thin.
  10. Note and date your observations regarding elasticity and appearance at the end of each day.
  11. As fertility approaches, CM should gradually change from dry to wet, from sticky to slippery, and from white to transparent.
  12. The most fertile CM is very thin and very slippery, often referred to as EW CM (eggwhite cervical mucus).
  13. If you observe several different types of CM during one day, record the observation with the more fertile characteristics.
  14. The last day on which fertile CM (EW CM) is observed is considered peak fertility day.
  15. Also note days on which sexual intercourse occurs and any bodily discomforts such as cramping, twinges, etc. These are important indicators if you see a specialist.

Tips:

  1. After you've become accustomed to observing your CM, use the following characters to distinguish your notes: P for menstruation or any spotting, D for dry, M for sticky white CM, and F for slippery transparent CM.
  2. Generally, a normally fertile pattern will be 3 to 5 P's, a few D's, 2 or more M's, and 1 to 4 F's.
  3. This method will only give hindsight information as regards to peak fertility day, so it should be used in conjunction with other ovulation detection methods.