How to test your cervical fluid.

• You can feel your cervical fluid with your fingers at the entrance of your vagina.
• You can also see it on your under wear. You can simply feel the fluid in your vagina when moving during day to day activities.
• The experience can range from feeling dry, to a little moist, to very slippery, squishy and wet.

If you are testing your fluid as a means of contraception you need to check a few times a day. And this method alone is not safe for contraceptive use, it must be combined with the other methods to acquire enough facts to know for sure what is going on.  A good time is as soon as you get out of bed before you wash. And any time when going to the toilet is convenient. Your checking for: feeling/sensation in the vagina, how it looks and its consistency between your fingers.

You need to check your mucus at times when you are not about to make love. As you will naturally produce lubricating fluid when aroused to make love. This is not the same as cervical mucus. So if you have a few days of wonderful love making it will make it difficult to observe what is going on with your cervical fluid.

Most women notice a substantial difference in mucus between dry early mucus signs, to wet, to slip slidey egg white. Some women produce lots of slippery egg white mucus for up to 5 days before and even after ovulation. Others just one day before and then they dry quicker after. You will come to know your own personal way.

What role does this fluid play: The fertile abundant egg white fluid is helpful to sperm, it nourishes and protects the sperm from the acid of the vagina and helps carry them up stream to the egg for fertilisation.

Post Period: After your period you will have 3 dry days without cervical fluid. This is an average it will depend on the length of your cycle. Its a very clear time to observe as you tend to feel dry inside, which for most women doesn’t happen for long.

Pre-ovulation: As your body takes its few pre-ovulatory steps towards ovulation you will notice a sticky, rubbery-like feel to your cervical fluid that is usually white or yellow. This fluid is not yet thin or slippery and has some stickiness to it. Then your body takes a further steps at the end phase of pre-ovulating towards ovulating. Here you will notice a change in your cervical fluid from being “rubbery” to being a creamy white or yellow. This fluid can also feel very wet or cool.

Ovulation: As your estrogen level reaches its peak, your cervical fluid will become clear and mimic an “uncooked egg white” stretchy fluid. You feel noticeably moist/wet/silky inside. This fluid indicates ovulation is occurring. Some women may notice some red or brown streaks in the clear fluid; this is often linked to mid-cycle spotting.

At the time of ovulation your estrogen level has peaked and for many women quickly after you will notice your cervical fluid decreasing as progesterone increases and your uterine lining begins to thicken. Some women continue to have this fluid until menstruation. everyone is different, but in time you will come to know your own way.

Dry fluid (not fertile)

• either dry or a little moist inside and dry on the outside of your vagina
• Sensation of dryness
• No dripping or staining at all in your underwear
• No sensation of wetness, slipperiness, lubrication or discharge.

Early mucus (possibly fertile)

• Opaque white or yellow
• Sticky
• Thick
• Pasty
• Tacky
• Cellular (dense matter in it)
• Holds its shape when you hold it and open and close your fingers on in.

Wet (more fertile)

• Thin and watery
• Translucent white or yellow
• Increasing amounts
• Milky
• Cloudy
• Clear
• Acellular (no dense matter in it)
• Red, pink or brown from blood spotting is possible
• Flowing

Egg white (extremely fertile)

• Clear
• Profuse in abundance
• Slick
• Glassy
• Stretchy and holds its shape
• You maybe able to stretch a shimmering thread of it between your for finger and thumb before it breaks.

Please Note: Cervical fluid that causes itching, burning or has a strong odor may be an indication of infection. If these symptoms occur, I encourage you to schedule an appointment with your doctor or herbalist.