How does mucus look like

Before you begin Dads-to-be How to get pregnant. Community groups. Home Getting pregnant How to get pregnant Ovulation, timing and sex. What cervical mucus looks like: photos November, If you're trying to get pregnant, it's good to know when you're at your most fertile. One way to find out is to look for changes in your cervical mucus — the natural, healthy vaginal discharge that most women experience. As your hormones change over the course of your menstrual cycle , the amount, colour and texture of your cervical mucus varies too.

These photos will give you an idea of what to check for as you track your ovulation to find out your most fertile days. Everybody is different, and you may not see these exact variations in your own cervical mucus. The main thing to look for is some kind of change mid-cycle. In the meantime, you'll improve your chance of conceiving by having sex every two days to three days throughout your cycle.

You can check your cervical mucus by wiping with clean toilet paper, or by inserting a clean finger into your vagina and reaching upwards toward your cervix. After your period, you'll probably have a few dry days, where you don't notice much cervical mucus. A few days after this, you may notice some wetness, which could be yellow, white or cloudy. This type of mucus can be a sign that your body is starting to get ready for ovulation. Because sperm can live inside you for up to a week, waiting for an egg to be released, it's worth having sex every two to three days during this phase.

When you're at your most fertile, you may notice an increase in cervical mucus, and find that it becomes wetter and more slippery. It looks and feels like raw egg whites and it can stretch about 5cm without breaking in the middle. This "egg white" cervical mucus is the most fertile, as it allows sperm to swim easily into the cervix. It's also a sign that you're about to ovulate. Cervical mucus is secreted by glands found in and around the cervix.

Hormonal changes throughout a woman's reproductive cycle change the amount and consistency of this mucus. Cervical mucus may also be called cervical fluids. The job of cervical mucus is to either:. Fertile cervical mucus is a clue that ovulation is coming. Your vaginal discharge is fertile when it resembles raw egg whites. You can predict this by checking and tracking cervical mucus changes. Yes, this will mean looking and usually touching your vaginal discharge. You may feel squeamish about it, but it's your body.

Knowing how your body works can be empowering. You learn to become aware of where you are in your cycle and when you're about to ovulate. It truly becomes second nature. If you already track your basal body temperature BBT , adding cervical mucus tracking is a good idea. Your basal body temperature which is your temperature at complete rest increases when you ovulate.

Your BBT will tell you if and when you ovulated after it happened. But if you want to get pregnant, you need to have sex before ovulation. Cervical mucus changes can tell you before you ovulate. This information can actually help you time sex for pregnancy.

Just before ovulation occurs, the hormone estrogen leads to increased cervical mucus and changes it into a stretchy, viscous-like substance. This helps sperm survive and swim. After ovulation, the hormone progesterone causes cervical mucus to become sticky and thick. This stops sperm and any other foreign substance from getting through to the uterus.

As ovulation approaches , your cervical mucus changes from a consistency that's not sperm-friendly to a more fertile variety. When your cervical mucus is in the wet or raw egg white consistency stage, ovulation is approaching. This is the best time to have sex if you want to get pregnant.

Don't check your cervical mucus during or right after sex. Also, avoid checking when you're feeling sexually aroused. Checking after sex is also a bad idea because it's too easy to confuse semen with cervical secretions. You can check your cervical mucus by looking at the toilet paper or your underwear. Not everyone is comfortable with putting their finger inside to check themselves.

But you don't have to. You can instead pay attention to how wet your vulva feels on a day-to-day basis, pay attention to the discharge on your underwear, or look at the toilet paper after urination. There is, in fact, an entire method based on this: the Billings Ovulation Method , With all that said, however, it's easier for many women to physically check themselves and reach inside. As a result, you may notice a heavier flow of discharge after implantation.

You might see increased discharge during your third trimester as well. If it has a slight odor—the result of hormonal changes—clean yourself with soap and water never douche ; if it's foul-smelling, see your doctor. As your delivery date nears, your cervix begins dilating and releases thick clear or blood-streaked discharge known as the mucus plug. Some women go into labor hours after the plug descends, while others wait several days for their water to break.

Certain factors can affect cervical mucus , including:. By Jeannette Moninger. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin More. Egg white?

Here's what your cervical mucus looks like before your period, after ovulation, and every day in between so you can predict the days you're most likely to conceive. Start Slideshow.