So you've heard that when you have egg white cervical mucus, that means you are fertile and approaching ovulation.  During that time, to optimize your chances for conception, you should have intercourse every other day.  What is cervical mucus and how do you monitor your cervical mucus throughout the month?

Cervical mucus (also called cervical fluid) seeps from your cervix and appears as discharge in your panties. When cervical fluid is fertile, that means it can support the life of sperm, which can live in fertile fluid for up to 5 days. You may have fertile fluid for up to 5 days right before ovulation day. If you have intercourse during any of those days, sperm can technically live in it until ovulation day when conception occurs.

How to Check your Cervical Fluid
In order to check your cervical fluid, you may be able to observe it from getting a sample from the outside on toilet paper or your finger.  The only way I can get a good sample is by inserting a clean finger in my vagina and swiping around in there. I do this while I am in the shower squatting.

Cervical Fluid Patterns Observed
Fertile cervical fluid is slimy, slippery, wet, stretchy and looks and feels like raw egg whites, hence the phrase "egg white cervical mucus".  Your cervical fluid is constantly changing throughout the month from one form into another, but it usually follow a particular pattern, namely it will go from infertile to fertile until ovulation.  Infertile mucus may be dry, rubbery, filmy, sticky.  Then it will transition into a more creamy, gooey, or wet consistency.  Then, you will develop the egg white cervical mucus.  On the day of ovulation or the day after, your mucus will usually dry up and look infertile again. 

Each woman needs to become familiar with her own body's pattern.  Below is my personal typical pattern.

• Right after my period is over, I am clean as a whistle for a couple of days.
• Then, I start to observe just a whitish-grayish film for a few days.
• Then the film gets thicker and whiter, another couple of days or so.
• Eventually, it's pretty white and gooey for a couple of days, but not stretchy or slimy.
• I may even have one day of film again randomly by the time I check my cervical fluid (which I only check once a day at night in the shower).
• Then the white goo starts to stretch between my fingers a little bit (half an inch) and is definitely slimy and wet for a couple of days.
• Then the slimy goo becomes very clear, more liquidy, and only streaked with white flecks. It stretches a lot, like 3 inches. It's super wet and slippery. This lasts for maybe up to 2 days.
• On ovulation day, by the time I check my cervical fluid, I have a clean finger again.
• The next day, when my basal body temperature (another fertility signal) rises, I have that filmy stuff again.

I would consider myself fertile from the time I had the slimy white goo that stretched 1/2 an inch till ovulation day when I dry up, which is the day before the basal body temperature rise.

I recommend that while you are still determining what your fertile fluid looks like that you just take very descriptive notes like I what I described above. Then after that cycle, you can look back and start to observe a little pattern.

I offer a free e-report on how to monitor your fertility signals with an included free chart you can download for keeping track of your findings.  Sign up for your free fertility e-report.

There is a difference between fertile and ovulation.  Ovulation is when your body releases an egg that can be fertilized if a sperm penetrates it. When that egg is released, it usually lives for up to a day. That day is called Ovulation day. For several days just prior to ovulation, your body produces "fertile" cervical fluid. Sperm can survive in fertile cervical fluid. Therefore, you are fertile during the time that you have fertile cervical fluid up through the day of ovulation. Fertile cervical fluid is wet, slimy and slippery (and even stretchy) like egg whites or kind of like semen. I check my cervical fluid by inserting a clean finger in my vagina and swiping around in there while I am squatting in the shower. You get a good sample that way.

You must check your fertility signals to find out when you ovulate each month. Your cervical fluid will tell you that you are "approaching" ovulation. By checking your morning temperatures, you will confirm that ovulation indeed past.

To confirm that ovulation has past, you need to take your morning temperatures every morning before getting out of bed and observe at least a .2 degrees shift up in temperatures than any of the last six temperatures before it. My pre-ovulation temperatures usually run between 97.0 and 97.9. After ovulation, my temperatures usually jump up to between 98.1 and 98.4. You have to find out what's normal for you, but my temperatures are pretty "normal" and can give you an idea.

To achieve conception, strategically time intercourse to occur at least every other day during your "fertile" window and on ovulation day. In order to keep up with this, you must chart your findings on a fertility chart.

Are you trying to figure out when fertile days are approaching in your monthly cycle?  You don't have to guess.  And you don't have to buy expensive equipment to find out.  You are considered "fertile" during the few days before ovulation day and including ovulation day. How do you know when those days are? You have to check your cervical fluid and know when you have "fertile" cervical fluid.

Checking your cervical fluid does not involve any supplies. Some suggest just swiping the opening of the vagina with a finger or toilet paper, but I have found it most helpful to insert a clean finger within the vagina and swipe around inside. I usually do it when I am in the shower squatting. This way, I get a good sample of what kind of fluid I have.

Cervical fluid changes throughout the month. After your period is over, you may find that your finger comes out pretty clean. That's normal. Within a few days, you will probably start observing some type of cervical fluid. It starts off "not fertile", which is usually sticky or gooey or dry. Then it will start to get wetter (another few days or so) and become more gooey wet or creamy. Then when you have reached your "fertile period", it will become slimy and slippery with a clear or streaked coloring. Your fertile fluid looks and feels a lot like egg whites or semen. You may even be able to stretch it between you fingers. How long fertile? you may wonder.  Your body will produce this fertile fluid for up to 5 five days or so before ovulation day.  When you find this fertile fluid, your body can support the life of sperm, which can live in this fluid for up to five days. It is during this time, that you are fertile and therefore should aim to have intercourse at least every other day throughout this time up through ovulation day.

How do you know when ovulation day is? You will observe a shift in your morning temperatures of at least .2 degrees to a higher range the day after ovulation day. You need to be taking your temperature every morning around the same time before you get out of bed to even go to the bathroom. Record these temperatures. They will stay in a low range before ovulation. My low range is between 97.0 and 97.9. After ovulation day, my temperatures rise to 98.1 to 98.4. (Each person's temps are different, but mine are pretty normal.) The last day of low temperatures is ovulation day. Your cervical fluid will dry up either the day of ovulation or the day after ovulation.

In summary, you are fertile during the days that you have fertile cervical fluid before the shift up in morning temperatures.   Join the Bonded From Birth email club and receive your special e-report to learn more about how to track your fertility signals.  Get your free fertility e-report here.

Fertility Awareness is getting in tune with your menstrual cycle so that you know when you are fertile, when you likely ovulated, and when you are past ovulation.  Ovulation, which occurs one day a month, is when your body releases an egg to be fertilized.  By checking your fertility signals, you can know exactly where you are at in your cycle.  Your two primary fertility signals include cervical mucus and basal body temperatures.  Cervical mucus is the fluid that leaks out of your cervix, down your vaginal canal and out of your vagina.  It changes consistency throughout the month based on where you are at in your cycle.  Several days before ovulation, your cervical mucus becomes slimy, stretchy and clear, which tells you that ovulation is soon to happen.  Basal body temperatures are your resting temperatures.  They stay in a low range before ovulation and rise to a high range after ovulation.  Fertility awareness involves checking and keeping a a record of your cervical mucus and basal body temperatures throughout the month.  Gathering this helpful information only takes a few minutes every day.  Every woman who wants to take charge of her gynecological health should consider practicing fertility awareness.