How important is EWCM?

[Saralund]

Hi - i was wondering if anyone could tell me just how important EWCM is? I have been ttc for 6 months and no luck yet. I have very regular periods and the one time i got my act together and used one of those sticks it gave me a line on day 14. BUT i never get this EWCM stuff and don't know how worried i should be (it seems to stay thick throughout the month). I had a chlamydia tes the other day (was starting to get worried there's a reason i'm not getting pregnant) and mentioned my lack of EWCM to the nurse but she said as i was having regular periods i shouldn't worry...but this is very different to what you read on line! If i'm to believe what i read online the sperm have no hope of getting where they need to get with my CM which is thick and tacky (sorry if tmi)!!!! Can anyone help? thanks so much

Have you read this book? It explains it all in great detail.
I found the EWCM to be very important, as it showed that I was ovulating earlier in my cycle than I thought - I was on a 26d cycle and ovulating around day 9 or 10, instead of 12 as I expected. Finding this out helped me to become pg 3 more times, although 2 were MCs.

There may be things you can do to change the consistency of the mucus - have a read of this site and see if it sounds helpful to you

thank you....I did start taking FertileCM but my period just wouldn't stop while i was taking it so i got scared and stopped taking it. Maybe i just need to drink more water - that would be a nice, easy solution!

It would certainly be a very good start!

1. you could make sure you aren't dehydrated as CM is predominantly water.
2. you could try a supplement. Evening primrose is one some women use or there is Vitamin B6 (cheaper) - which i have used to great effect to increase mine- it worked very quickly - within days and previously i'd stopped getting it - age related as i'm in my 40s. I take 50mg per day and now get a day of EWCM- and more cm all month which means i have dispensed with needing lubricants ever (obviously i wasn't using them during fertile period though i know pre-seed is ok)

Zita West says not to worry if you never detect it. She states that its the quality of the secretions high up in the cervix that counts and also says that fishing around inside yourself too much can be rather drying! Some women just feel wetter- i get that sometimes, its almost as thin as water. She finishes by saying lack of EWCM could be purely down to your observations or it could be related to slightly lower oestrogen levels. I'd try the above first and if after a month or two you're still worried see if your GP will do day 3 tests on your hormones. Its very unlikely you have anything wrong though. Many women do not detect any and get pregnant naturally.

CM changes are very useful though to see where you are in your cycle. However OPKs are far more reliable for most women as CM is very subjective whereas OPKs actually measure levels of hormone. Have a look at the fertility friend website under the education tab- very informative.

whats a day three test on hormones?
what do they test ?and what does it show?

well my GP tested me for FSH, LH, Oestradiol and prolactin. They are usually done on CD3 but can be done slightly earlier/later, . mine were done day 2.
It just shows what your hormones are doing at the very start of your cycle and is the first thing they will investigate if you are having problems TTC or think your periods are up the spout, suspect anything may be wrong (menopause) etc etc. They then usually order day 21 tests to see if you've ovulated that month. I didnt bother with that as I temp and always get a temperature rise after a positive OPK so am pretty certain i ovulate every month. It will of course only tell you what your homrones are like that month but can be reassuring.

NB day 21 tests aren't always done on day 21, it depends when you ovulate but it's known as the day 21/ progesterone test.

thanks so much for all this info...

on the one hand i feel i shouldn't worry as my periods are so regular and also i've never needed any lubricant but then when people describe what ewcm looks like and what's it's needed for i start to worry all over again. I imagine all the sperm getting stuck and not being able to get where they need to!! But if the place where it counts is high up in the cervix maybe i just can't see it?

I've got some evening primrose oil already in the cupboard so i'll start taking that next month. Can it have any adverse side affects do you know? Has anyone had any luck with it increasing ewcm?

thanks again

I have been obsessing about EWCM for weeks and I can give you my experience with it. My cycles are like clockwork and always had a good amount of EWCM before ttc. The month we started ttc I obsessed about it so much, trying to find EWCM and furkling about in my cervix that I didn't get any.

This month I am going for the laid back approach and I have got EWCM every day for the last 3 days although the consistency has gotten better each day. Today its like proper good EWCM, sadly DH is not nearby to do the deed so might miss OV this cycle.

I am thinking of starting EPO next month too just to help things along.

But then on the other hand not everyone gets EWCM but they still get a BFP. So as blackcat suggests - load up on H2O and try the supplements.

I think I fished around too much last month for it and maybe thats why it never showed up. This month I have not fished at all and it seems to leak out in bulk. So maybe there is some truth in that theory.

I'm on my first cycle of taking EPO and have noticed ewcm for the first time in about 6 months. Would def recommend it. Am taking 2000mg per day. Hope it works for you too.

I'm not sure it has any real difference for me but I still take it and to answer your other question - side affects - no that's not an issue. It's an Omega 6 and good for you. You know not to take it after ovulation right?

Yes did read somewhere its not good to continue after OV - something about cramping. Will be off to Holland & Barrett on the weekend.

thanks for all your advice. Think i will try the EPO and vitimin B6 soon. I like the word furkling redstrawberry!! Yes, i think my cervix is probably fed up with all that furkling...although it does mean i notice when it's all soft and squishy - which is a sign of ovulation isn't it? I asked DH the other whether he's found me dry down there lately and he said no so maybe it makes an appearance when we....(don't know the Mumsnet acronym for this!!)

It's just a bit frustrating when everything you read says there are distinct stages of CM and mine never seems to progress into the clear, stretchy stage.

I had regular periods (26-28 days like clockwork) & it still took me 11 cycles (9 of those charting my temp & doing OPKs) before I conceived & I am now 36 weeks pregnant! For some people it just takes longer & there is no reason for this. I was taking Evening Primrose oil capsules & drinking lots of water as well as using Conceive Plus as a lubricant when having SWI. I noticed that all these helped with having EWCM at the right time. One reason I think it took me & my DH longer was we were not having enough SWI. Not sure if this is the same for you but I was trying to time SWI around the time the OPK said I was ovulating & this may have been too narrow a window. If you try & have SWI a few times a week throughout your cycle this may prove to be the best way of getting pregnant. Good luck :o