Cervical Mucus

what is white and sticky
what is white and sticky

What does cervical mucus do?

Cervical mucus, or cervical fluid, has two jobs depending on where you are in your cycle. The first is to help sperm move through the cervix so it can fertilize an egg during ovulation. The second job is to prevent sperm or other substances from getting into the cervix.

What are the different types of cervical mucus?

Not every person will be the same, but your cervical mucus will resemble all or most of the following during your menstrual cycle:

  • Dry or no cervical fluid.
  • Sticky like paste. It can be white or yellow.
  • Creamy like yogurt. Smooth in texture and usually white.
  • Slippery, stretchy. Resembling raw egg whites.
  • Wet, watery and clear in color.

The type or texture of your cervical mucus will depend on what stage of your menstrual cycle you’re in. Your mucus generally starts as dry or pasty before moving to a creamier texture. As ovulation nears, your discharge will become wet, stretchy and slippery. The most common analogy used for super fertile cervical mucus is looking and feeling like raw egg whites. If you see that texture, you’ll know you’re at your most fertile time. After ovulation, your cervical mucus goes back to thick and dry.

How does cervical mucus help with conception?

Cervical mucus plays a key role in conception. The hormone estrogen peaks just before ovulation. This causes cervical mucus to change from pasty or creamy to resembling stretchy, raw egg whites. This wet, slippery discharge makes it easier for sperm to swim up the vagina and into the uterus to meet an egg. If you have sex at this time, you increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Think of your uterus as a swimming pool, your cervical mucus as water and the sperm as a person trying to swim. If the water was thick or mud-like, there’s no way a person could swim through it to reach the other side of the pool. This is how hard it is for sperm to reach your fallopian tubes if your cervical mucus isn’t fertile. It’s easier for sperm to swim up the uterus to meet an egg for conception in thin, wet, egg-white mucus.

How does cervical mucus change throughout my menstrual cycle?

The changes in cervical mucus happen as a result of hormones shifting throughout your menstrual cycle. Estrogen increases before ovulation and makes your cervix produce the fertile, egg-white mucus. It’s your body’s way of making it easy for sperm to reach the egg it’s about to release. After ovulation, estrogen levels drop and progesterone levels rise. This rise in progesterone helps the fertilized egg implant into your uterus if conception occurs. However, this causes your cervical mucus to begin to dry up.

If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle, your cervical mucus will generally follow this pattern:

  • Days 1-4 after your period ends: Dry or tacky. It can be white or yellow-tinged.
  • Days 4-6: Sticky. Slightly damp and white.
  • Days 7-9: Creamy, yogurt-like consistency. Wet and cloudy.
  • Days 10-14: Stretchy and resembles raw egg whites. Slippery and very wet.
  • Days 14-28: Dry until menstruation occurs.

Most people assigned female at birth (AFAB) with a 28-day cycle ovulate around day 14. This is why your cervical mucus is slippery, stretchy and highly fertile just before the egg is released.

How long will I have egg-white cervical mucus?

The egg-white discharge lasts about four days. If your cycle is 28 days, the fertile cervical mucus occurs around days 10 to 14.

How does cervical mucus change during early pregnancy?

Changes in cervical mucus can be a sign of early pregnancy. After ovulation, your cervical mucus thickens or dries up, then you eventually get your period. However, if you conceived at ovulation, you may still produce some cervical mucus. This can indicate to some people AFAB that they might have conceived. In other cases, implantation bleeding occurs. Implantation cervical mucus is tinged brown or pink. This happens around your period, leading some people to think they didn’t become pregnant.

It’s important to note that every person is different and not everyone has implantation bleeding or noticeable changes in cervical mucus.