Cervical mucus: What it looks like through your cycle

Cervical mucus, sometimes called ovulation discharge or just vaginal discharge, is fluid produced by your cervix. "The discharge is mostly water and also contains microorganisms," explains the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

The amount, color, and consistency of your cervical mucus changes throughout your menstrual cycle due to fluctuating hormone levels.

You may not have given much thought to cervical mucus in the past, besides noticing it in your underwear. But if you're trying to get pregnant, keeping track of your cervical mucus can be an important tool because it helps you predict when you're ovulating.

For most of the month, you may have very little cervical mucus, or it may be thick and sticky. But in the few days before, during, and immediately after ovulation, you'll notice an increase in cervical mucus and a change in its texture: It will turn clear, slippery, and stretchy (like raw egg whites). This is the time, just before ovulation, when sex is most likely to lead to conception.

When trying to conceive, "have intercourse every day or every other day when the thin and slippery cervical mucus is present," says ACOG.

You can check your cervical mucus three ways:

• Wipe your vagina with clean white toilet paper before you pee, and notice any discharge.
• Insert a clean finger into your vagina and reach toward your cervix, then examine any mucus on your finger.
• Look at the vaginal discharge in your underwear.

Feel the consistency by rubbing and seeing whether you can stretch the mucus with your thumb and index figure.

Note: Don't check your cervical mucus soon after sex. Wait 12 to 14 hours, or you may have semen confusing your results.

The first few days after your period are "dry days," when you have little to no mucus. Then you may have a few days of cloudy, sticky discharge. The consistency is thick and chunky, and the texture feels like paste or glue from a glue stick, making it hard for sperm to swim through. Sticky or tacky cervical mucus is the least fertile type, so your chances of getting pregnant are low. (Sperm can live for many days, though, so it's not something you want to count on for birth control.)

Next in your cycle you may notice creamy cervical mucus, which is considered non-fertile because it greatly restricts the movement of sperm. Creamy cervical mucus can be a pearly white or creamy yellow. It's thick and feels like lotion when rubbed between the fingers.

As your most fertile time approaches, you may notice your cervical mucus becomes clear. "Just before ovulation, the amount of mucus made by the cervix noticeably increases, and the mucus becomes thin and slippery," explains ACOG.

This type of cervical mucus allows sperm to move unhindered into the cervix, but it doesn't make the sperm's job quite as easy as egg white mucus, which is next in your cycle.

Once your cervical mucus has the consistency of raw egg whites, you're in your fertile period. Egg white mucus means your body is getting ready to ovulate. If you hold the mucus between two fingers, it can stretch an inch or two without breaking in the middle. This type of thin, slippery cervical mucus allows the sperm to swim easily into the cervix.

You may also notice that your body is producing even more mucus during this time. In fact, women typically produce 30 times as much cervical mucus in the late follicular phase. (The follicular phase is from the first day of menstruation until ovulation. From ovulation to your next menstrual cycle is the luteal phase.) 

"If you notice an increase in mucus two days in a row," says the March of Dimes, "it's a good time to try getting pregnant."

After you ovulate, you'll notice less cervical mucus. Instead of the clear, thin egg white cervical mucus you may have seen before ovulation, your cervical mucus after ovulation may look cloudy and be more thick and glue-like.

You may wonder whether changes in your cervical mucus will signal whether you're pregnant. Usually, no. "Discharge is not a good predictor of pregnancy," says Layan Alrahmani, M.D., a board-certified ob-gyn and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, clinical faculty and assistant professor at Loyola University in Chicago, and member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board. 

While your normal cycle of cervical mucus may be disrupted if you're pregnant, Dr. Alrahmani explains, this isn't always the case.

And while many women notice an increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy, you're not likely to notice this symptom in the week or two just after conception. It's not one of the early pregnancy symptoms that women commonly report during those first few weeks. If you suspect you might be pregnant, your best bet is to take a pregnancy test around the time you would expect your period.

Many things affect the texture and consistency of cervical mucus, including:

• Changes in health
• Medications, including hormonal birth control
• Feminine hygiene products
• Douching (douching isn't recommended)
• Sex
• Stress
• Breastfeeding
• Having surgery on your cervix
• Lubricants (used during sex or a vaginal exam)

Infections can also alter your cervical mucus. Call your provider if your vaginal discharge changes color to yellow-gray or green; if it develops a strong, fishy odor; or if you feel burning, irritation, or swelling around your vagina or when you pee.

Not every woman experiences the same variations in cervical mucus. For instance, you may not have much mucus except right before ovulation. The main thing to look for is some kind of change in cervical mucus mid-cycle. And if your cervical mucus doesn't help you predict when you ovulate, it's okay. Consider other methods for predicting ovulation.

Find out how to predict ovulation by charting your cervical mucus and basal body temperature. Also, learn the pros and cons of charting versus using an ovulation predictor kit.

Where to go next

• How to get pregnant fast
• Top signs of pregnancy
• Vaginal discharge during pregnancy