How To Track cervical fluid for birth control & pregnancy

There are two fertility tracking signs that are vital to the symptothermal double check method that we use and teach here at Sauvage Wellness - cervical fluid and basal body temperature. Today we’re talking all about my favorite tracking sign… cervical fluid. Seriously, I am obsessed. In fact, I believe that cervical fluid is such an important and informative cycle tracking sign that for the first 5 years of using FAMs as birth control I used a cervical fluid ONLY method.

Table of Contents:

What is cervical fluid?

The different types of cervical fluid

Common cervical fluid patterns in the menstrual cycle

How to track vaginal sensation & why it’s important

How to check cervical fluid

WHAT IS CERVICAL FLUID?

Cervical fluid, or more accurately cervical mucus, is a muscousy-fluid that is made by the cervix in response to fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone. Cervical fluid tends to become wetter and slipperier the closer we get to ovulation as a result of rising estrogen levels. The further we are from ovulation, cervical fluid tends to be moist, sticky, tacky, or barely there at all due to the lack of estrogen in the early part of the cycle and the abundance of progesterone in the post-ovulatory part of the cycle. By tracking daily cervical fluid changes, users can observe these shifts in cervical fluid and use it to make birth control or pregnancy achievement decisions by apply the specific cervical fluid rules of the symptothermal double check method.

Users are able to tell if their bodies are nearing ovulation by tracking daily cervical fluid changes and can choose to avoid or prioritize unprotected intercourse on fertile fluid days depending on their family planning desires. By tracking cervical fluid users are not only able to uncover their fertile windows and spot ovulation, they are also able to spot potential estrogen imbalances. Increasing levels of estrogen are needed to produce fertile cervical fluid, which means a woman with very little cervical fluid may have lower levels of estrogen and a woman with lots of wet-type cervical fluid (especially after confirmed ovulation) may have higher estrogen levels.

Cervical fluid is the most biggest and most important marker of impending ovulation. Temperature tracking tells us NOTHING about when ovulation is going to happen - that’s what cervical fluid tracking is for.

In order to access the wisdom of your cervical fluid, we must explore the different types of cervical fluid and what exactly they tell us about our fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle.

TYPES OF CERVICAL FLUID

There are a variety of ways to categorize cervical fluid types so for the sake of this post I will be teaching the cervical fluid categories that I use and teach with my clients here at Sauvage Wellness. These cervical fluid types may differ from those used by other fertility awareness educators and other fertility awareness methods, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make one more right than the other. I just find that in my personal and professional experience, these are the cervical fluid categories that are the least complicated and most prevalent in the highest number of method users.

Types of Cervical Fluid

Dry - This isn’t truly a type of cervical fluid, but rather a lack of cervical fluid on any given day. This entails feeling a dry sensation at the vaginal entrance when walking around and going about the day, as well as not seeing any noticeable fluid on panties or toilet paper.

Wet/Watery - The best way to describe this fluid type is that it feels like a watery gush of fluid, but you know you didn’t just pee your pants. It often leaves a wet spot on one’s underwear, but we don’t see much when we wipe with toilet paper. This fluid type is common at the start of the fertile window. 

Milky - Oftentimes wet and watery fluid transitions into a milky type fluid that is still watery and runny but takes on a white color looking much like cow’s milk. This is another cervical fluid type that we can see during the fertile window.

Stretchy - Not everyone experiences this type of fluid, but I want to include it because some folks don’t just jump right from wet and watery or milky to slippery egg-white fluid. Instead they have a day or so with a subtle increase in stretchiness. Stretchy fluid is often milky in color and can stretch a little bit, but isn’t overly stretchy and likely isn’t clear or slippery. It breaks easily when stretched. It’s a transitional fluid that can be seen as the body gets closer to ovulation.

Slippery Egg-white - Slippery egg-white fluid is the type of cervical fluid that everyone thinks about when we talk about fertile cervical fluid. It’s clear, slippery, and goopy like raw egg-whites and is peak fertile fluid. That is to say that it’s the fluid that is best for pregnancy achievement and made the closest to ovulation under optimal hormonal conditions. This fluid is the best for sperm mobility and transportation. It’s important to note that slippery egg-white fluid can vary in color and have a white or yellow hue and even be streaked with pink or red blood as a result of ovulation spotting. If you see this type of fluid or it is streaked with blood it doesn’t mean that you are ovulating at that moment. It doesn’t even mean that you will definitely ovulate. It just means that the body is trying really hard to ovulate and is likely very close to accomplishing ovulation. It’s also important to note that not everyone makes this type of cervical fluid, and if they do they make not make it in every cycle. In that case one’s peak type fluid would be the most fertile type fluid seen instead - stretchy, milky, or wet and runny. Ideally, however, we have optimal hormonal conditions and are able to make this highly fertile type of fluid. 

Sticky/Tacky - Sticky and tacky fluid is what the body makes under the presence of optimal progesterone levels after ovulation in the luteal phase of the cycle. This is because progesterone thickens cervical fluid to hinder sperm mobility and transportation when we are no longer fertile in any given cycle. This fluid tends to look white, a bit thick, and lacks wetness or slippery-ness. It’s a bit tacky to the touch and can look a little clumpy. This fluid is also very common during pregnancy when the cervix is blocked by the mucous plug and progesterone levels remain elevated.

COMMON CERVICAL FLUID PATTERNS IN THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

It’s important to note that cervical fluid may not take a clear path through each of these fluid types in any given cycle. Some common cervical fluid transitions in a menstrual cycle include…

Example #1 

Period bleed → Dry → Wet & Runny → Slippery Egg-White → Sticky → Period Bleed

Example #2 

Period Bleed → Moist → Wet & Runny → Slippery Egg-White → Dry → Period Bleed

Example #3

Period Bleed → Dry → Wet & Runny → Sticky → Period Bleed

Example #4

Period Bleed → Wet & Runny → Stretchy → Slippery Egg-White → Sticky → Period Bleed

And, many more possibilities as well.

HOW TO TRACK VAGINAL SENSATION + WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

In regards to cervical fluid, you will also keep track of what we call “walking sensation” or “vaginal sensation”, quantity, and your peak day. Walking sensation is the sensation felt at the entrance of the vagina or in one’s underwear while going about their day. Quantity refers to how much or how little cervical fluid is seen or felt on any given day. And, your peak day is the last day or the most fertile type of fluid made in any given menstrual cycle. Ideally, the peak day is slippery, egg-white fluid day, though it may not always be as such.

Types of Vaginal Sensation

Dry - the absence of obvious moistness or wetness

Moist - some texture is present, but it’s not overtly wet, watery, or slippery

Wet - a wet, watery, runny, or slippery sensation at the entrance of the vagina and/or when walking around

HOW TO CHECK CERVICAL FLUID

Checking cervical fluid is so much easier than you might think. You do not have to go fishing around inside your vagina to check cervical fluid. To check your cervical fluid simply go to the bathroom as you normally would upon waking, wipe the vaginal entrance with clean toilet paper or clean fingers and notice what you see and feel. Notice the texture, appearance, sensation, and quantity of the fluid(s) you see. Is it dry, moist, or wet? Does it look watery, cloudy, milky, thick, white, or clear like goopy raw eggwhites? Does it feel slippery or tacky? How much is there? Does it stretch between your fingers? If so, a lot or a little stretch? Ask yourself these questions. Each time you go to the bathroom throughout the day do a quick check just as you did in the morning and notice what you see and feel. At the end of the day record on your cycle tracking chart the MOST FERTILE type of cervical fluid that you notice each day.

And, there you have it, an in-depth look at my favorite cycle tracking sign - cervical fluid. If you’re interested in learning more about how to track cervical fluid for birth control or pregnancy, I highly recommend the following…

Schedule a free info call with me to chat 1:1. You can do that here!

Sign-up for my free cycle tracking mini-course - How To Cycle Track The Right Way For Birth Control, Pregnancy, & Better Periods. You can sign-up for that here! (You’ll just need to scroll down a bit.)

Check out my signature Cycle Wisdom Course. This is where I teach you how to use the symptothermal double check method all on your own in just 3 cycles! Learn more here.

IMPORTANT - The information provided in this blog post is for educational resources only. It is NOT nearly enough information to effectively prevent or achieve pregnancy. To do that you will need to go through my Cycle Wisdom Course.