Changes in Cervical Fluids

The Look & Feel of Fertile Cervical Mucus
Changes in Cervical Fluids: What Happens and When

Get Pregnant - 5 Essential TipsAs the customer service representative at Early Pregnancy Tests, I sometimes receive email inquiries about fertility charting, using a basal thermometer, and monitoring natural fertility signs to predict ovulation. And while bbt charting will be the cornerstone of your fertility chart, monitoring changes in cervical mucus (cervical fluids, CM) is very important - particularly because method of charting allows you to anticipate when you will ovulate each month. This week, I received an email inquiry about the difference in appearance and texture between fertile and non-fertile cervical fluids - a great opportunity to clarify how cervical mucus can be used to determine when you are most fertile each month.

As a brief review, changes in cervical mucus (CM) are not only a key signal of fertility, but are also a big part of successfully achieving pregnancy. Cervical mucus is produced by glands within the cervix, and specifically within your cervical canal. During your menstrual cycle, both the quantity and the quality (texture, appearance) of cervical fluids undergo a number of changes. In human reproduction, fertile-quality cervical mucus supports conception by providing a fluid, healthy medium in which sperm can survive and propel themselves. CM protects sperm from the naturally-acidic environment of the vagina and helps sperm to move through the cervix into the uterus. And because cervical fluids insulate and nourish sperm, the presence of fertile cervical mucus can also extend the life-span of sperm, in turn increasing the odds of conceiving by helping sperm "hang out" and wait for the egg to appear following ovulation. (FertileCM is a natural product that can be used to increase the quality and quantity of cervical mucus you produce.)

So, that's the mechanics of cervical mucus - but how can I use this information as part of my fertility charting? As one customer recently asks...

Question: "Dear Pat, I have been using your basal thermometer now for an entire cycle now and I was able to draw a coverline this month! While on the topic of bbt charting, do you have a picture of fertile cervical mucus and can you describe for me the differences between non-fertile and fertile cervical mucus? Also, when can I expect to see changes in cervical mucus during my cycle - e.g., on which cycle days will the cervical mucus become fertile?"

Answer: Of course, variations in individual mucus patterns will differ among women due to unique variables like cycle length, age, hormonal balance, use of fertility drugs, etc. However, the appearance of "fertile quality" cervical fluids typically arrives directly prior to ovulation, meaning that women can use CM as a very reliable means of ovulation prediction. Let's take a look at the changes in look and feel of CM as you move through your menstrual cycle...

The appearance and texture of cervical fluids will change as you move through your menstrual cycle. Also, the quantity of cervical mucus present is also a key sign: When you are most fertile, CM should be quite abundant. Texture: During your cycle, cervical mucus may be absent or profuse, dryish or wet, thick or thin, sticky or slippery. It may "hold its shape" or it may stretch between your fingers like raw egg-white. Appearance: The look of cervical fluids will also change during your cycle and CM may be white, creamy, yellowish, translucent, or transparent.

When It Happens: During the first part of your menstrual cycle, CM may not be present or it will be dry and thickish. The color may appear white. As you enter the follicular (pre-ovulatory) phase of your cycle, estrogen increases and you may experience "transitional" cervical mucus, marked by increased moisture, increased volume, a more stretchy texture, and a thinner feel. Transitional mucus will still be a bit tacky and hold its form to some degree. The color of transitional cervical mucus may be white, creamy, or yellowish, though it will still be mostly opaque.

Directly prior to ovulation, cervical mucus should be abundant. Fertile cervical mucus is characterized by a transparent appearance - and it may look and feel like raw egg white and stretch between your fingers without breaking (see fig 1). This stretchiness is called Spinnbarkeit and indicates that ovulation is likely imminent. Fertile CM will be thin, slippery (like lubricant), stretchy and translucent. Typically, fertile-quality cervical fluids will appear a few days prior to and during ovulation. Following ovulation, the quality of CM will change again due to sudden decrease in estrogen and increase of progesterone. You may experience transitional mucus, followed abruptly by an increasing dryness (non-fertile CM) through the rest of your luteal phase. Below is a table that provides an overview describing CM changes, what the changes mean, and when they occur.

As noted above, there are many variables that can affect how cervical mucus is produced - and women may have different experiences charting changes in CM. Notably, popular fertility drugs like clomid can cause dryness or a decrease in CM. In addressing the problem of dryness, Pre-Seed is a great product - the only intimate moisturizer of its kind to not act as a barrier to sperm. Pre-Seed was formulated to provide a fertility-friendly medium for sperm and Pre-Seed may actually increase the odds of conceiving for many women.

A new dietary supplement called, appropriately enough, FertileCM is designed to actually help women produce cervical fluids during the ovulatory phase of their cycle. FertileCM works by facilitating blood flow and circulation to the reproductive organs, and research studies indicate that key ingredients in FertileCM support the production of endocervical secretions during the time a woman is most fertile.

How soon after ovulation can I test?

A: The earliest you can get a positive result on the most sensitive pregnancy tests is seven days after ovulation. Implantation needs to occur before hCG is produced, and that generally happens between 6-12 days post ovulation, usually by 10 days after. For this reason, it makes economical sense to wait until 10-12 days after ovulation, but even then a significant percentage of women who are pregnant will still show a negative result. Many people won't have a positive HPT until the first day of a missed period or even a few days later.

Vaginal discharge - when the fertile days?

The menstrual cycle a woman is accompanied by other measures entering a vaginal discharge.

Menstruation is a woman accompanied by various physical symptoms - including a vaginal discharge. This vaginal discharge is normal and allows the woman in detail, careful observation even deduce their fertile days. In the days around ovulation, which is roughly in the chronological middle of the cycle, so far the clear, inconspicuous outflow stronger and changed its color and consistency to the onset of menstruation in a creamy white. What amount of mucus in a woman finds her panty liner or perceives is different from organism to organism.

Cervical mucus does not smell, reminiscent of egg white
The most important part of the cycle-related discharge of cervical mucus is the so-called cervical mucus. It gives women a reference to the fertile days. During the fertile period, the cervical mucus and liquid flows down to the vagina, a phenomenon that is used by some women even clearly perceived. The cervical mucus is reminiscent of consistency of egg whites and pulls strings, he also feels oily and slippery.
The cervical mucus is not accompanied by itching and burning and smells normal.

Sperm-cervical mucus need to survive
In the first days of menstrual bleeding is not yet drawn cervical mucus - the possibility of becoming pregnant is so extremely low, because the sperm need mucus to survive. Since the cervical mucus consistency and its optimal quantity but a few days before ovulation begins to build, is already the possibility of becoming pregnant. For several days in the cervical mucus sperm are viable and can wait for such a protected entry point.

If symptoms smelly discharge necessarily Doctors
Separates the vagina from a lot of unusual vaginal discharge, this can be annoying and uncomfortable for the woman, but need not necessarily mean that a disease is present.

It may be the cause of the increased discharge and irritation to the vaginal environment - caused by too much about personal hygiene, stress or too sugary diet. include a treatment with vaginal suppositories, the lactic acid bacteria, the vaginal environment can move back into balance. Does the discharge but associated with burning, itching and odor or has a greenish, brownish or red color, a gynecologist should be sought, since a strong suspicion of parasites, a fungal infection, bacterial infection or a sexually transmitted disease exists.

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Pregnant With No Symptoms

How to Get Pregnant

Often, women are so tuned to expecting symptoms when pregnant that when they don't experience any, it appears as if something is wrong. Being pregnant with no symptoms need not always imply impending complications. It could simply be that the body is at its healthiest state, and so does not react to the new baby inside.

What Symptoms to Expect

Commonly, some of the most obvious symptoms of being pregnant are tender breasts, fatigue and morning sickness, as well as back and joint pain and swelling. If the woman has missed her period, and is delayed by over a week or 10 days, it might signal pregnancy. Other than that, most of the other painful symptoms appear several weeks or months into pregnancy. Thus, women who are pregnant with no symptoms should be thankful that they are not put through the suffering as so many women are!

The Second or Third Child

Women who have had children earlier are more likely to experience a subsequent pregnancy with no symptoms. Such women might typically suffer high intensity fatigue, pain and nausea when they had their first child, but with future pregnancies, such symptoms tend to subside. The age of a woman when pregnant also plays a part in the intensity of symptoms she would experience. The older a woman gets, the less likely she is to experience being pregnant with no symptoms. This is because as the body ages, it becomes more difficult for it to adapt to a new baby naturally.

Concerns of Miscarriage

Most women who are pregnant with no symptoms have fears of a miscarriage. They believe that because they are unable to feel the symptoms, there is an increased likelihood of unintentional strain on the body, thereby leading to a miscarriage. However, it is crucial to understand that miscarriages happen essentially because of the genetic framework of the egg, which has been fertilized. Should there be an inherent problem with the egg the body would terminate the pregnancy naturally because it knows the egg would have minimal chances of survival.

Symptoms Manifested in Future

Just because a woman is pregnant with no symptoms does not imply in any way that the symptoms will not manifest later on. Some women experience nothing other than sore breasts until 6 weeks into their pregnancy while others suffer from no symptoms at all throughout the entire pregnancy. Many women might not have any issues 3-4 weeks into their pregnancy, and then the symptoms might appear with a vengeance! Every pregnancy is different, and so there is no general rule involved.

No Cramps or Contractions

Some women might be well into their 40th week of pregnancy and still not face symptoms like cramps and contractions. Women are not considered overdue until they have crossed the 42nd week and this is very normal nowadays. Therefore, technically, if there are no contractions, it means the body is not prepared for labor yet. Lack of symptoms when pregnant should not be a cause for worry. Worrying would only cause more complications.

A woman being pregnant with no symptoms should consider herself lucky. Pregnancy is meant to be a fulfilling and happy journey, and every woman needs to enjoy the process as much as possible.

Toileting Your Baby

Up until my 6th baby they all wore cloth and disposable diapers. With number six I heard about “diaper-free” babies, and I was curious. I read a little about it, and decided to try it. I found out that I had to keep a close watch on the baby and whenever she wet or dirtied I should say a cue word, and put her on the toilet or pot. I should become familiar with her signals that she would make when she was about to go. Eventually she would come to associate the cue word with the action, and would go when I told her to, after noticing her signal. I found I just had not the time to watch her. Every time I stopped watching she would go, then when I came back it was too late. So I gave up.

Before I had number seven I read another book about it, and noticed that I could try putting him on the toilet as soon as he woke up, which is often a time that babies need to go. I read an article by another relaxed mother, who said she keeps diapers on her babies, but puts them on the toilet whenever they poop, saying the cue word at the same time. I determined to give it another try. When he was little it was just too much, although I did manage to catch a few poops, and say the cue words when I noticed him eliminating. At four months old I started holding him over the toilet when he woke up, and whenever I saw he was thinking about a poop. I had four successes the first day! He seemed to know that when I held him in that position he should try to eliminate, and would usually grunt and strain as soon as I held him over the toilet. Now, at 8 months, he goes on the toilet every morning, and during the day if I notice that he needs to go. It is not saving a whole lot of diapers, but I am hopeful that he will toilet train a lot earlier than my other babies (who were between 2 and 2 ½ years old).

The position I hold him in is with his back leaning against my body, with my hands around his thighs, so he is in a squatting position. From here I try to aim his elimination into the toilet. I plan on introducing the potty soon, but will keep him on the toilet also, as going in there helps to familiarise him with the place, and make him feel comfortable and normal about going there.

Can you get Pregnant if you have sex during your period?

Can you get Pregnant if you have sex during your period?

Unfortunately, many women of all ages believe that if a Girl has sex during her period, she will not fall pregnant, that she isn't fertile and it just could not happen!

But even though this belief and rumour is well spread and very common, it is absolutely POSSIBLE for a girl to become pregnant when she is menstruating (bleeding).

There a number of reasons why this can happen:

Not all vaginal bleeding is the result of a menstrual period. Sometimes a girl will bleed from her Vagina at the actual time of ovulation - the time when the egg is released from one of the body's ovaries and then travels down the fallopian tube to the Uterus. And it is very common now for girls/women who are ovulating to experience some vaginal bleeding that can be unfortunately mistaken for a period.Sometimes ovulation can actually occur before the bleeding from a girl's/woman's period has stopped. Or it may occur within a few days after her period has finished. In both of these cases, having sex before the period has finished or just after it has finished, can result in pregnancy.

Having unprotected sex at any time including when you've got your period is incredibly risky. Along with the risk of becoming pregnant, there is also the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease, such as Chlamydia, genital warts, or HIV (AIDS). The only surefire and safest way to prevent pregnancy and/or STD's is abstinence!

Now we would be rather unrealistic to expect this to be the case, so if you are going to take part in sexual relations with your partner, use a CONDOM! Or in the best case scenario - first of all, make sure you both get checked out by the Doctor so you have a clear bill of health. And then if all is clear, make sure you use some form of contraceptive or protection to stop you from receiving an unexpected surprise

Male Infertility

When couples are having difficulties becoming pregnant, it is generally the female who will seek treatment first. This is probably due, at least in part, to enduring stereotypes surrounding the woman’s responsibility in conception. However, the statistics show that men are the infertile partners in 40-50% of couples unable to get pregnant. There are many factors influencing male fertility, including lifestyle and family history.

This is not meant to be discouraging, but instead to enlighten you to the many possibilities available to infertile men wishing to seek treatment. Many of the same medical treatments available to women, such as assisted reproductive technologies, surgery and fertility drugs are also offered to men.

And while some men may try to disguise their embarrassment to shield their pride, it is important that men learn how to come to grips with their infertility so that they can seek treatment. Indeed, less than half of all infertile men are totally sterile, so the chances of being able to reproduce, given proper treatment, are quite high. For example, men who are experiencing impotence will be happy to know that there are many treatments available, especially now that open discussion around erectile disfunction is becoming more and more common.

While female fertility, and specifically, the female biological clock, has long been thought to be the factor contributing to a couple's infertility, a new study has found that a male biological clock does indeed exist. Learn more about the link between male fertility and age, and also what types of male infertility treatment can help to minimize the effects of age on male fertility.

Hormones play an integral role in maintaining healthy male fertility. However, a low testosterone level may indicate a fertility problem known as hypogonadism, which may adversely affect reproductive functioning. Varicocele is another common cause of male infertility, but it can normally be treated effectively to improve fertility..

Additionally, you may be surprised to learn that the immune system can have an effect on male fertility through antisperm antibodies.

My home pregnancy test showed a faint line. Am I pregnant?

Tests you can do at home are very sensitive and can pick up the presence of pregnancy hormones in your system even before you have missed a period.

For a home pregnancy test to give you a positive result, your body has to be making a detectable level of the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). However, not all pregnancy tests can detect the same amount of hCG; a sensitive test is one which turns positive even if a low amount of the hormone is present. The more sensitive a pregnancy test is, the earlier it will show a positive result.

If the test you're using is only faintly positive, it may not be very sensitive. If you still have the box, it should say somewhere what the test's sensitivity is; the lower the number, the better the test. For example, a test with a sensitivity of 20 IU/L (milliInternational Units per Litre) will tell if you're pregnant sooner than a test with a sensitivity of 50 IU/L. Read the side of the box to see what it says.

Many women get a faintly positive result if they're not as far along as they expected. If this turns out to be the case for you, taking another test in two or three days should give you more exact results. Most home urine tests should be positive by the time your period is due if your body is making the normal amount of hCG.

Pregnancies with complications also produce hCG but in lesser amounts, so that could be causing the faint line. If your test is faintly positive and then a few days later turns completely negative, you may have had a very early miscarriage.

Experts estimate that about 50 per cent of fertilised eggs don't make it, and a further 15 per cent of recognised pregnancies end in miscarriage, so unfortunately this is very common. It is only since pregnancy tests became so sensitive that people have realised how often early miscarriages can happen. In the past, these very early losses might not even have been noticed, and the woman would never have known she had been pregnant.

Can You Get Pregnant While Taking Birth Control Pills?

From the time they were in the early 1960s, birth control pills are one of the most popular forms of contraception, the millions of women in the U.S. and worldwide. If they are right, birth control pills can have up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. But women who are birth control pills are often pregnant. If this happens, it is often because women have something (or more likely not the case), not because the pill itself is not anything to work.

Can pregnant with Birth Control Pills? - A qualified "yes"

There are several reasons why a woman on birth control pills could be pregnant. The most common is that they neglected to ensure the pills in a day or more. Depending on how busy your lifestyle is, or how often your prescription pills, it is easy to forget that the pharmacy and then a new package - still sexually active. Another error, sometimes the women take the pill at different times on different days. Birth control pills should be at the same time each day. Although it is impractical to have pills every day, always at about the same time - but it is important to ensure that birth control pills unsuccessfully to prevent pregnancy. If your pill, telephone your health, and ask whether it is OK, but later in the day or two in the next few days - it is sometimes effective, but the exact mechanism depends on the specific pills being taken, please contact a doctor first. (You might also want to use additional contraception until the next month, just to be on the safe side.) If you are away from home and forgot to take your birth control pills, not from a friend. Different birth control pills have different formulations and what was needed for a woman is not necessarily for others. Also, birth control pills are sometimes used by other medicines. Certain antibiotics, anti-seizure and anti-fungal drugs have been associated with decreased efficacy of birth control pills, along with some herbs and vitamins. Before your doctor for a new medicine, you know that you're on the pill to prevent any problems.

Can pregnant with Birth Control Pills? - Little Known Facts

If you swallow a pill, it takes 30 minutes to be absorbed in the blood and their contraceptive jobs. If you throw in that half hour, just after you take the pill, there is a chance that you become pregnant if you have sex later. It is also possible if a woman with severe diarrhea. If so, contact your doctor. It may be in order, or you may need a second pill immediately - as a backup, you can also use another method of contraception for the rest of the month. If you should happen to become pregnant, whereas birth control pills and decide whether you want to keep you and your baby, there's no reason to worry about pills affect the development of the fetus. According to Mayo Clinic, "There is very little evidence that exposure to the hormones in birth control pills causes birth defects." But if so, quit taking pills immediately and see your doctor or health care provider.