Cervical Mucus and Ovulation

Everything you need to know!

Testing your cervical mucus is a popular approach to predicting when you are ovulating during your cycle. Knowing your ovulation date can help in predicting when to have intercourse when you want a baby to finding the right day to test to see if you are pregnant.

Cervical mucus changes color and textures throughout your cycle, and will be specifically a new shade of color and texture when you are ovulating.

The most common way to test your cervical mucus is to gather mucus from your outer genitalia between your index finger and your thumb. Noting the color and the texture and consistency can help you in predicting whether you are ovulating or not. Just so you know, this is the most accurate way to tell if you are ovulating NOW, instead of other tests that can just predict when you did ovulate.

Before Ovulation and at the beginning of your cycle, there will be little or possibly no discharge or mucus to collect and test.

When you approach ovulation your cervical mucus will become more abundant and should be very wet and sticky, which means if you stretched it between your fingers, it would break easily. The color will look cloudy and eventually the mucus will increase in volume as you come closer to your ovulation.

Right before and during ovulation, you cervical mucus will resemble egg whites and it is at thinnest and most abundant at this point. During your "stretching" test between your index finger and thumb, your cervical mucus should be able to stretch pretty far (much farther than before). As time moves on you will reach your ovulation peak, where you cervical mucus will be very high in volume, the highest in your cycle. Very close to this point is when you are ovulating, and is your most fertile time. Sperm that is released during intercourse can live in this substantial amount of mucus for a few days, increasing your chance of becoming pregnant.

After ovulation your cervical mucus will change back to a state more like the beginning of your cycle where you may begin to feel dry. This is around the time right before your expected period, and the cycle starts all over again!

Remember that this is an average test, and if you are taking medication or birth control you cervical mucus might change.