Furkling for EWCM

[Thandeka]

Okie coke have a few questions about EWCM.

1. It's not normal to have to have a proper "rummage" for ewcm is it! This is way TMI but I have to have 2 or 3 "dips" before I find any! I am also checking cervix position but seriously there is only so much furkling for ewcm a gal can do!

2. Does the amount of sex you have affect the amount of EWCM? Its just I noticed last month I had a little bit more but we had much less sex in the run up to ovulation than we have in previous months and this month where there has been much less.

3. How much CM is normal? the photos on www.beautifulcervix.com/ apears to have LOADS, but the absolute max I have is www.tryingtoconceive.com/store/ewcm4.jpg but for the whole of my cycle! (In fact that pic would be ALOT for me!

4. Does EWCM directly correlate with fertility- ie. the more you have the more fertile you are? A mate of mine had in her words "enough EWCM to bake a cake" Grim, but has just had to have IVF (although it was for male and female factor). Does my very scant EWCM possibly indicate a problem?

I suppose there is a possibitlity my EWCM slips out, or gets stuck to my partners bits or something so I have more than I think but don't see it.

Anyhow have tried allsorts to increase it- EPO, water, guaifennisin (sp?) but nothing much works (hate hate hate grapefruit juice but desperation may lead me there) we do use preseed to replace it.

I do remember once a LONG time ago having LOADS of EWCM but can't remember the circumstances of that particular month but I remember being a little freaked out as it was before I properly knew what it was!

Anyhow a little ewcm obsessed for a saturday morning! Grin

Sorry haven't any idea but lolol at furkling

OK, I am extremely over-familar with my own CM , so will attempt to answer some of those for you...

1. I don't think there is "normal" when it comes to women's bodies. Some women do have to root about a bit to find it whereas I only check externally. Toni Weschler recommends a technique for furtling about in her book, so clearly some people do need to really look for it and that's common enough for her to bother explaining how to do it.

2. I don't know if there is any direct correlation but personally I think this might be right. No idea why though.

3. Again there isn't a norm. The beautiful cervix woman does have a lot I think. Instead of groping around in there have you thought about just looking on the loo roll, particularly if you have just had a poo? That is when a lot of women notice it, rather than all of the time.

4. EWCM correlates with fertility to the extent that it makes it more likely that sperm from sex a few days before ovulation will survive to make it to the egg. However, my understanding is that EWCM is triggered by oestrogen production and if this is so, presumably it is possible to have loads and not ovulate (since ovulation is triggered by LH, not oestrogen). You'll also carry on having EWCM if you have tubal problems etc. So no, it doesn't necessarily equal fertility. (As for your friend, her problem may have been that she was trying to bake cakes with her cm... .)

How much water are you drinking? You need at least 2.5l per day, and tea & coffee have a dehydrating effect, so cut back on those if you drink them.

Cheers Mrs Happy. I do occasionally notice it on loo roll but I'm currently impatiently waiting for ovulation- basically my ov day varied from day 14-day 21 (and have to be honest there is only so much shagging a girl can do especially since we start on day 10- I want Ovulation to come (already day 17 and no sign yet) so we can get on with it already!!) so basically I go for a good furkle because I am far too impatient!

And crumbs I defo don't drink that much water. Yuk. I am probably in a perpetual state of dehydration. Bleugh I hate water. Lots of herbal teas methinks (my accupuncturist told me to try not to eat and drink too many cold things- coz of my "cold uterus" not sure I am convinced but a warm herbal tea is nicer than a pint of water any day.

LOL at the acupuncturists and their obsession with cold food. I was always told that I should drink water at room temp whenever possible, so not too cold, but you can always sit with a hot water bottle on your tum in the evening to keep your bits warm and to placate your acupuncturist!

The advice to drink lots of water comes straight from Gerard Kite, an acupuncturist who deals specifically with fertility issues and has a v good reputation. I read something by him explaining how to calculate the amount you need for your body and I will try to dig that out for you. If it is loads, you get used to it very quickly, honest!

Ooh Mrs Happy if you could that would be great! I probably don't have more than 2pints max- so miles off 2.5 litres.

Right am off to do myself a pint of hot blackcurrant!

(oh and as a side I am slightly worried about drinking that much Thames water (live in London) as anecdotal evidence from hubbies uncle who also lived in London - they took forever to concieve in the end they gave up drinking tap water and switched to bottled for everything- drinking, cooking, cleaning teeth, only bathed in tap water- and she fell pregnant! (she only ever managed to have one kid) They blamed the pill from all the 18-35 year old women (right demographic for london) getting into wee and then into the urine supply. Google doesnt really support this but now its in my head! Nargh! Trouble is filtering water wont get rid of pill hormones so would have to be bottled- and the eco impact of that is horrid!

Sometimes I guess you can overthink things!

Leningrad- I think I made furkle up - Its a word I use all the time - oh hang on google has a few refs to it- perhaps I didn't make it up!
Bah! Congrats on current pregnancy and DS.

Unfortunately I can't find the details, but I know that Zita West suggests drinking at least 2.5l per day.

If you are only drinking a couple of pints of water each day, what do you drink? I think I would have a thumping headache if I didn't guzzle so much water!

I know what you mean about tap water. I have heard that about the hormones too. The way I see it if hormones are in the water then there is nothing we can eat or drink that will not be contaminated. That is a risk factor that we can't control. What we can control, though, is how much we drink. We know that the body needs a couple of litres of fluid a day (not including anything with caffeine or alcohol) and we know that water helps to flush out toxins and to keep the body healthy, so I would drink lots be it tap water or not in preference to worrying about the hormones. And you could try it as an experiment - get through a 1.5l bottle each day (in addition to your herbal tea) and see if you get more EWCM next month. You can be our MN guinea pig!!

I was thinking about this earlier. I would wee ALL the time if i drank more and as a teacher its not always practical to leg it out of a lesson.

I probably have 4-5 cups of coffee/tea a day (some decaff/herbal some bad stuff) and thats about it. maybe a glass of water/juice too. So probably 1 litre max? I do get terrible headaches but find they are often hormonal (at period time) rather than dehydration ones but I have suffered from them too. I just dont feel thirsty really and my job means sometimes I forget to go to the loo all day too!

Oh dear looks like I am going to have to start swallowing for england ;) (and weeing for england!). MN challenge accepted. Do you reckon it only takes a month or would i need to do it longer? There was a month where I had a lot more water (maybe not 2.5 litres but a lot for me) and there was no change in mucus but then again I was only able to keep it up from about day 6-day 15 so probably not enough time for mucus making.

Do you have half term next week? If so, start then. Your body will get used to it and you won't wee so much after a little while. You'll be surprised how quickly you adjust (although you will probably no longer forget to pee all day!!).

Ooooh, I'm exited to see if this makes any difference. Just think, it is probably waaaay easier than drinking grapefruit juice (unless you happen to love the stuff)!

Yes tis Half Term- Ok going to try. Will pour out a 2ltr jug of water a day and keep it at room temp and use it to make herbal teas and squashes etc.

(i'm assuming alcohol doesnt count as my liquid intake ;) -I am out with the M-i-l tonight so I need a drink!

One question though- wont it make me heavier/more bloated? If eventually I stop wee-ing it must mean my body has achieved a new water balance? But then Alice the camel doesn't need a water hump around her tummy!

I don't think so.
Actually I'm sure Ive reead that drinking more water is recommended for people with water retention.

Although you'll be able to tell us that youself in the next couple of weeks!

Oh my- I just realised HOW much 2.5litres actually is! Am on 500mls. Only another 4X that again. Yuk.

Seriously do "normal" people have this everyday? (Not saying you are abnormal MrsHappy - but really does everyone manage this!) Google is telling me the benefits but blimey! My system has probably been running below par for years.

I doubt it. Especially in the UK I think people drink much more tea and coffee than water. Actually in Germany too the people I know are quite resistant to the prospect of drinking plain still water.

Don't start with 2.5l suddenly - aim for 1.5l and then increase from there.

And make sure you spread it through the day as it would not be healthy to chug a lot of water at once!

I was a bit worried that I didn't have enough EWCM so i bought some pre seed. (think i got it from access diagnostics website about £10)

You put it in before you do the deed, up to 15 mins before. It's just like lube. I think it's probably a fluke, but after using this stuff for a whole cycle and when I'd def ov'd I got preg.(after 16 months ish trying)

Perhaps you could try this, it mimics eWCm. Alternatively, you can use egg white, but there's a slight risk of salmonella and it was just too much hassle for us.

So I'm thinking a bar of dairy milk has a glass an a half of milk in. That's gotta count right?

1.5 is more manageable for this week.

Man I need a wee again- 3rd time this morn!

Am aiming for 300mls or so an hour- or after everytime I go to the loo!

Good luck, I am low on the egg white too so joining in on this moosive amount of water drinking malarky. I can sympathise with you Thandeka as I am not that keen on water myself...double bleugh.

Interested in the mention of grapefruit juice, have you tried it?

Jeez Thandeka, that website beaut cervix is truely amazing but bloody grim. I have an egg white phobia, so anything slimy etc...makes me feel pretty weird...

Well informative tho.

How are you going Thandeka? Still wee-ing for England or is it starting to settle down?

Oh crap totally busted MrsHappy! I managed a day- just couldn't keep the pace! Day 2 it got to 3pm and I realised I hadn't even had a litre.

Odd thing was though 2 days later after my marathon drinking day I had LOTS more EWCM which is odd. Thing is I have done this in previous months made a concerted effort to increase water intake and got nowhere with the EWCM so am not entirely sure there is a correlation. (and since am now on day 23 of my cycle I am about to start a thread about my eggs playing hide and seek!)

I need to get back on the water drinking wagon. I must!

Got to ask....is that really true that you can use real egg white for lubrication? Am cursing coz I didn't get my act together to send off for pre-seed in time and the opk line has appeared sooner then expected. Am a bit desperate as only have the normal Boots stuff and we really have to go for it this weekend.....if i end up using the boots stuff i convince myself i've killed off all the sperm....probably impossible but....hey! me obsessed?

??!!

Thandeka I really doubt that a couple of days would make much difference...
The thing is that water is just plain good for you and when you do get pregnant it is a good idea to drink lots for both you and the baby. You might as well get in practice now!

tetley don't use normal lube - it is harmful to sperm. Toni Weschler does suggest raw egg whites in TCOYF. Personally I would be very worried about sticking something I would't eat (due to concerns re bacteria) inside my reproductive tract. Can you just try not using lube?

Thanks mrshappy, yes i know i should do without but find the whole bd'ing to timetable very unsexy ! Coupled with being knackered from sleepless 2.5 yr old...i think my cervix would rather be watching a good film!!