Cervical mucus: what is it, how should it be?

Understand body
Cervical mucus: what is it and how should it be?

When I switched to the NFP contraceptive method, something suddenly took on a meaning that is actually totally uncomfortable as a woman and has always been: cervical mucus. Attempts have been made to cover up vaginal discharge since puberty. From the moment you start using hormonal contraception, you think you have it under control – then you stop taking the pill and a few months later you wonder if you might have an infection due to the increased discharge. Panty liners suddenly make sense again – you have been able to ignore the shelf in the drugstore for years. But just before you make a doctor’s appointment, the discharge goes down again. At some point he’ll come back, then he’ll go back again. What the hell? So I asked him after all and he replied with a grin: “That is not a discharge, you have found your cervical mucus, Ms. Steinberg!” A short research later, there was the big wow factor. What he tells you is really amazing. I just have to share it with you guys!

What is cervical mucus – and what is it for?

Cervical mucus is formed in the cervix and closes the cervix. This is how it protects your uterus from bacteria. So it is not to be confused with discharge, which can indeed have a health cause. It is also not a matter of arousal mucus. The cervical mucus is based on the phases of your cycle – its consistency is therefore another characteristic that can be used in addition to temperature for contraception or for the specific desire to have children.

What does it look like – and how does the cervical mucus change at ovulation?

Phase 1: Hardly any cervical mucus on your period

There is hardly any cervical mucus at the beginning of the cycle. At the same time you are also busy with your menstrual period, it just doesn’t matter. The fertile days are also rather unlikely at this point. Once the period has passed, you may be able to pay more attention to it again.

Phase 2: Creamy cervical mucus in the follicular phase

In the follicular phase, the egg grows and gets ready for ovulation. The length of this phase is often subject to fluctuations – women rarely actually have a natural cycle (without pill etc.) of 28 days. In this phase, the cervical mucus migrates from the cervix to the cervix. So we now notice it a lot more – it has a creamy, sticky and whitish consistency. This is ensured by the increased estrogen level. It gets more and more towards ovulation.

Phase 3: Spinnable cervical mucus on the fertile days

When the egg gets ready to jump, the cervical mucus increases again and changes its consistency. It now has the task of making the way for potential sperm towards the cervix easier – they feel very comfortable in it and can survive in it for several days. You yourself take it now as it was much thinner, more watery and clear. It is also referred to as spinnable: it can be pulled into longer threads between two fingers. It’s hard not to check it out for three decades!

Phase 4: Dry as the desert – no cervical mucus after ovulation

Once ovulation has occurred, the cervical mucus that is present tightly closes the cervix and hardly emerges from the vagina. This slime swing happens relatively quickly. Maybe you have some creamy, whitish slime for a moment – then more of a dehydration follows. But it can also turn out to be whitish, firm, creamy slime from time to time.

Stage 5: Sticky cervical mucus before your period

Shortly before the menstrual period starts, there will be another surge of mucus and more cervical mucus will again be noticeable at the vaginal entrance. This can take on a consistency similar to that shortly before ovulation – i.e. a bit more liquid, sticky or even spinnable. The uterine lining that has built up in the luteal phase is now shed from the uterus: first the mucous plug loosens, then the bleeding follows. We start again with phase 1.

How do you find and examine your cervical mucus?

WTF? Looking at slime and maybe even touching it? Disgusting – there is no question at all! Of course, if you think so, you don’t need to read any further. For me it was also strange at first. But first of all, there is next to no effort involved – after all, we all have to go to the toilet – and I had already noticed before that there is something that makes a panty liner necessary in case of doubt. Second, it’s your body! If you don’t want to look at him and understand him, who will? So and now for everyone: You don’t have to look for the cervical mucus, it is just there (if you are not taking hormonal contraception)! In the best case, you can find it on the toilet paper after every use of the toilet. But the quality and quantity can be different for everyone. If you are unsure of the consistency, you can also remove it from the cervix with your finger.

How often do you examine your cervical mucus?

Depending on the goal. Do you just want to see if you can see a difference? Then just keep an eye on him a bit. If you actually want to use natural family planning or in combination with the temperature method to use contraception, or if you want to tackle the issue of having children in a targeted manner, then you should observe it daily and make a note of your observation. This works best with an NFP app such as mynfp.

No spinnable cervical mucus?

Mucus observation is quite subjective – after all, you don’t ask anyone else how they would assess your mucus today. In addition, the quality of the mucus is very individual. It is just important that you perceive the changes in the course of the cycle and note them down. Clearly spinnable mucus does not always have to appear before the fertile days – but maybe it will become more fluid or clearer? Then you have already registered a change and will be able to classify it better in the next month.

Isn’t our female body great?

Even if the topic of cervical mucus is still a taboo or disgusting topic for many women, I can only encourage everyone to simply deal more with their body. The cervical mucus or the basal temperature tells you so much about your cycle and thus also about your health – and that should be very important to all of us, right?

Barbara