During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the egg is waiting in the wings to be fertilized. The womb (uterus) prepares itself for joyous conception by thickening its walls and storing blood. If sexual intercourse happens during this time frame, there is an extremely high chance that conception will occur given that all other factors that influence conception are also in tune. If, however, fertilization does not have a chance to occur, the uterus sheds the unfertilized egg as well as the changes on the uterine wall in the form of menstrual blood.
Along with the Calendar method and the Temperature method, the Cervical Mucous Test also indicates when changes are taking place within our body. To understand your body and the times of ovulation, I’ll describe the cervical mucous at each stage of the month.
Normally, as our menstrual cycle ends, we see thick white cervical mucous. This sticky or creamy mucous is easily removed from our vagina with a paper tissue. As ovulation starts and the ovaries release the mature egg, copious amounts of thin, mucous consistency of discharge is produced. The type of mucus at the various intervals differs in people. To understand your body’s signals, it is best to follow the patterns and consistency of your own mucus to decide when ovulation is triggered. Repeat the checks over multiple months to determine the pattern that your own body follows.
The vagina is more or less dry after menstruation as the body’s low estrogen level keeps the mucous level low. In a while, the mucous slowly gets to feel sticky indicating the phase 2 when estrogen builds up. The ovulation time is the monsoon season for the vagina, the wettest time of the cycle. The mucous at the point is gummy, pasty, and sometimes, almost viscous. It is often possible to stretch it between our two fingers (sometimes up to two inches long) and see how elastic it feels. This is the third phase which lasts up to two or three days indicating the most fertile period during this cycle.
After ovulation, the mucous thins and decreases in volume. Estrogen production goes down in our body as the next cycle starts. The vagina gets dry just before our monthly menstrual bleeding starts again and the mucous at this point gets watery and clear.
The peak day of the period is the day with the best quality of mucous. The fertile period starts on the peak day and ends in about four days at the most.
Note that any type of sexual arousal or activity can change the consistency of the mucous. The best time to check the mucous is in the evening. In addition to checking the consistency of the mucous, we can also check the position and feel of the cervix itself. In the course of a menstrual cycle, the cervix changes its position as well as its shape and firmness.
Of course, this depends on the shape and size of your body and the ability of each person to sense the changes. In the beginning of the cycle, the cervix appears to be at a low position and easy to reach. It also feels closed and firm. Around the time the ovulation begins, the cervix feels soft, and in a higher position which is more difficult to reach.
A combination of the methods such as calendar method, temperature method, lower abdomen pain/ache and cervix position changes as well as the mucous changes will certainly help you predict when it is time to have intercourse with the most amazing chances of successful conception.