CERVICAL MUCAS:
TTC? The menstrual cycle explained and things to look for
Cervical fluid is the more evident sign of impending ovulation. Estrogen is responsible for producing cervical fluid. When your period is over, you will be dry for a few days. The dry days will turn to sticky days. Dry and sticky days are known as "sub-fertile" days- or a time when your fertility is very low.
After the dry or sticky days, normal cervical fluid usually changes to watery or creamy- whitish or clear in color and very thin. This is an indicator of rising fertility- or rising estrogen in your system. Some women may only get watery or creamy cervical fluid during their peak fertility. A few women may never notice cervical fluid at all. It is a good sign if you are producing cervical fluid because it is the medium that sperm need to swim up through your cervix and into your uterus. Sperm can survive days longer in good cervical fluid.
After the watery/creamy phase, most women will start to produce a new kind of cervical fluid called "Egg White" because it resembles the color and consistency of raw egg whites. This is the most fertile kind of cervical fluid. Egg White cervical fluid is stretchy and clear, or it may have white streaks or even streaks of blood in it. Sperm live the longest in Egg White cervical fluid and the more you have the better!
Abruptly after ovulation, or even the day of ovulation, you will become dry again, or back to sticky cervical fluid. You should remain this way until your next period arrives. Many women notice a lot of creamy or watery cervical fluid before their period arrives. This is completely normal.
Sticky/Dry= Not fertile (Intercourse is not likely to increase your chances of pregnancy)
Creamy/Watery= Fertile (Intercourse will increase the chance of pregnancy)
Egg White= Very fertile (Intercourse greatly increases the odds of pregnancy)
YOUR CYCLE EXPLAINED:
When oestrogen and progesterone levels in a woman?s body are at their lowest ? just before her period ? two things begin to happen:
The lining of the womb starts to shed. This is your period and is considered the beginning of a new cycle. If you are counting the days of your cycle, count the first day of bleeding as day one.
At about the same time, the brain?s pituitary gland starts releasing a hormone called FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). The FSH triggers follicles (eggs in their sacs) to start maturing in your ovaries.
Menstruation to ovulation
Under the influence of FSH, 10 - 20 follicles start to develop, but only one of these (sometimes two) will mature fully. As the follicles grow, they release increasing amounts of oestrogen and this oestrogen causes the lining of the uterus to thicken in preparation for a fertilised egg. This stage of a woman?s cycle begins at the same time as menstruation and can vary greatly in length. It may last anywhere between 6 and 21 days and is called the follicular or pre-ovulatory phase. Women in this phase are considered semi or partly fertile because there is no way of knowing how many days it will be until ovulation.
Ovulation
Once the oestrogen produced by the growing follicles reaches a certain level, it triggers the pituitary gland to release a surge of LH (luteinising hormone). This causes the most mature follicle to burst open and release its egg into the Fallopian tube. This is ovulation.
Some women feel a slight twinge on one side of their lower back or abdominal area around the time of ovulation. Not every woman experiences this, but it is normal and is known as mittelschmerz (middle pain). Some women may also have discharge that is pinkish or a little bloody. If you have more than this little bit of bleeding between periods, tell your doctor.
The few days leading up to ovulation are considered the most fertile in a woman?s cycle. This is because sperm can survive for up to seven days in a woman?s body (on average they live for 3 days). If a woman has sex or insemination during the six or seven days before she ovulates, it is likely that the sperm will still be around by the time her egg is released.
One or two days after ovulation are also considered fertile days because a woman?s egg can live for about 20 hours after ovulation. If two eggs have matured, the second will be released within 24 hours of the first. From a few days after ovulation until her next bleed, a woman is generally not fertile.
Anovulatory cycles
Although ovulation occurs in most cycles, it is possible to have a cycle, and a period, without ovulating. This is called an anovulatory cycle and may happen in young women who have just started menstruating, women who are breastfeeding, women nearing the menopause, and women whose cycles are longer than 35 days.
Ovulation to menstruation
This phase is called the luteal or post-ovulatory phase. It is generally accepted that the time from ovulation to menstruation is always 12 to 16 days, whether your cycle is short, average or long. But while this phase does tend to be more constant than the phase before ovulation, recent research suggests it may range from 7 to 19 days.
After the egg has been released at ovulation, the empty follicle starts to produce progesterone as well as oestrogen. The progesterone causes the lining of the womb to secrete nourishing fluids. If the egg becomes fertilised, it plants itself into the womb lining and the follicle it came from continues to produce progesterone to ?feed? the fertilised egg.
If fertilisation does not occur, the follicle starts to break down and slowly stops producing hormones. When the follicle has broken down completely and is no longer releasing any hormones, the womb sheds its lining. This is your period. And so begins your next cycle.