S5 Ep. 9: A Deep Look at Cervical Fluid; The Key Sign of Ovulation

Cervical mucus/fluid is the sign of the main event! It is the gatekeeper of your fertility as well. It is through changes in cervical fluid that your fertility opens and closes in a 5-7 day window around the main event of ovulation. The cervical fluid that tells us that ovulation is approaching has very specific properties. Cervical fluid is a hydrogel, or in other words it is mostly water, 90 to 95% water to be more precise. It contains mucin, glycoproteins, and nutrients that help sperm survive and thrive. As our hormones change, our cervical mucus changes, when the estrogen rises during ovulation our fluid becomes more watery, like raw egg whites and it becomes clear and stretchy, and very slippery. This should be an obvious sign of our bodies that we can observe when wiping front to back in the restroom daily. You can start paying attention every day when doing your regular routine by noting the sensation that you feel when you wipe front to back; was it dry, or smooth, or was it slippery? Look at the tissue next and observe whether you see mucus on the tissue; what does it look like? If you pick it up off the tissue, does it stretch more than an inch? Is it clear or cloudy? These are simple ways to be observant of the changes in your cervical fluid through the menstrual cycle. You can learn to chart these symptoms daily as well in your menstrual tracking chart! Again, the cervical fluid is a biological valve that turns on our fertility, and turns off our fertility. It opens and closes based on the hormonal messages that our cervix is receiving through the body. Estrogen in high amounts creates an increase in cervical fluid. Progesterone dries cervical fluid, therefore after ovulation most women are dry, or have very little vaginal discharge. These are just the very basics about cervical mucus, and we are teaching you today this information for the educational purpose of cycle and body awareness. If you are looking to use cervical fluid as a way to determine fertility for the purpose of either avoiding or achieving pregnancy, than you really want to learn to chart your cycles by a trained professional and scientifically validated method of charting. You can learn about different methods of charting from FACTS. https://www.factsaboutfertility.org/ or this site for FABMS; https://fabmbase.org/ or Managing Your Fertility; https://www.managingyourfertility.com/ If you want to look at beautiful pictures of cervical mucus ferning, check out this article which references the work of Dr. Pilar Vigil and the MIT researcher Dr. Katharina Ribbeck; https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/cervical-mucus-health/ Also, thank you to this months sponsor! Brigid Tebaldi... Brigid is a birth trauma recovery coach 🫶 helping moms feel strong and safe after a tough birth & find peace! https://www.instagram.com/loretowellness/ Schedule a FREE mini-session with Brigid by visiting her website www.loretowellness.com, as well as a ton of helpful information to help you on the path of healing and peace today! Medical disclaimer: The information presented in The Hormone Genius Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.