Cervical Mucus
Signs of Ovulation

The presence of stringy cervical mucus is one of the positive signs of ovulation.

The mucus is a cervical fluid or vaginal discharge that is always present in your vagina. It is your body's natural way of cleansing, lubricating and guarding your vagina against infections.

It changes in texture and quantity throughout the days of your menstrual cycle and it increases around the time of ovulation. Its cyclical nature makes it a useful biomarker in managing fertility.

At the start of your cycle, your mucus can be clear or cloudy white. It is yellowish when dry. When you enter your fertile period, your cervical mucus will turn stretchy like raw egg white. This usually happens from day 10 to days 14 to 15 in a 28-day cycle. Note that after you ovulate, your discharge will change to a thick sticky mucus, indicating that ovulation has occurred. Your body is now producing progesterone, preparing for a pregnancy.

Cervical mucus serves an important function for the survival of sperms. The acidic environment of the vagina can shorten sperm life. However, if your fertile mucus is present, the type that is stretchy and stringy, it would provide nourishment for the sperms and help them swim faster into your cervix. Intercourse that occurs in the presence of the mucus is most likely to result in pregnancy.

You can examine your mucus on a toilet tissue and check its texture. The stringier it is, the more fertile you are. Check them by putting some between your thumb and index finger and pull them apart. See how far does your mucus stretch. Non fertile mucus doesn't stretch very far. On the other hand, if you find that it stretches easily between your fingers, recognize it as one of your signs of ovulation, your body is ready for conception.

During copulation, the mucus is secreted in abundance to facilitate the process.

If you feel 'dry' and find it painful during copulation, it could be that you have difficulty secreting enough cervical mucus for lubrication. There is a dietary supplement, FertileCM, designed to increase fertility by supporting the production of "fertile-quality" mucus that you may like to try.

If you don't like to consume any oral supplement, you may use a sperm friendly lubricant or moisturizer that works like your body's natural secretions to relieve vaginal dryness. Such products comes in a convenient single-use applicator to coat your sensitive area and external cervix, replenishes nature's moisture and works just like your fertile mucus.

Don't use other types of lubricants especially those made from petroleum jelly which actually harms your membranes. And those made from water soluble agents? They can be hostile towards sperm.