Does cm(cervical mucous) mean you're fertile?

Question

Does cm mean you're fertile and about to ovulate or does it mean you're ovulating at that moment,also is it a sign that you are definitely going to ovulate or can u have cm and not ovulate? I dont get it

Additional Details

I did try opk this month,i used answer 20 strips and first response,it gave me positive from feb 10 to 13....i bd on 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16,and i got my period today,im so mad

Answer 1

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Before Ovulation (low chance of pregnancy):
The first few days following menstruation, there will be little or no discharge present. You will feel dryness around your vulva. During this time, chances of getting pregnant are low.

Approaching Ovulation (chance of pregnancy):
The first discharge that does appear should be moist or sticky and should be white or cream in color. In the finger test, the mucus should break easily. You will only be able to pull your fingers about 1 cm apart before it breaks. During this transition time, first the mucus will become cloudy and slightly stretchy during the finger test (this means that it will still break before the fingers are stretched all the way). As time progresses, the mucus will become greater in volume.

Right around ovulation (high chance of pregnancy):
At this stage, mucus resembles egg whites. It is the thinnest, clearest and most abundant at this point in the cycle. Finger testing will allow the mucus to stretch quite a ways (several centimeters) before it breaks (if it breaks at all). ) The amount of this thin mucus will steadily increase until you experience your ‘mucus peak’. This is the last day of this period where the chance of conception is high. It is closely tied to ovulation. During this phase, the sperm’s survival rate is higher. It can survive in cervical mucus for up to 72 hours, a significantly longer time than during the rest of the cycle.

After Ovulation (low chance of pregnancy):
After ovulation, there is a marked change in mucus appearance. It returns to the sticky stage (does not stretch during finger test) and there is again a feeling of dryness around the vulva.

One caution for this test is that sperm can be confused with the mucus secretions and you could make wrong assumptions. Also, vaginal infections, medication, and birth control can alter conditions and should be taken into consideration when examining any vaginal secretions.

Cervical mucus plays an important role in enabling you to get pregnant. The most important role that it plays is that it facilitates conception by allowing fertilization to occur at a time distant from ovulation. The role of the cervical mucus is to nourish, protect, and speed the sperm on its way up through the uterus and into the Fallopian tubes so that it can fertilize the egg and help you in getting pregnant.

A woman’s cervical mucus is different throughout her menstrual cycle and these changes in cervical mucus reflect her stage in the cycle. After menstruation, as your cycle progresses, your cervical mucus increases in volume and changes texture. The greater volume and changes in texture reflect your body’s rising levels of estrogen. You are considered most fertile when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy. At this stage the cervical mucus can be compared to raw egg whites.

Cervical Mucus – Healthy Reservoir for Sperm
The vaginal environment is biologically a very hostile place for the sperm. The acidity in the vagina rapidly immobilizes sperm and makes them dysfunctional. The first level of protection that the sperm gets is by the man’s coagulum. After ejaculation, sperm are protected by the coagulum formed from a man’s semen. But this is a very short period of time. During this time, sperm, wrapped in coagulum, are transferred to the cervical mucus which protects the sperm from the acidity of the vagina. Sperm that fails to enter the cervical mucus in this short period of time become non functional. Although, women often worry about semen falling out of their vagina after intercourse, all useful sperm is usually taken up in the cervical mucus within this short span of time after intercourse.

In the middle of your cycle, your cervical mucus provides a healthy reservoir for sperm. Sperm, unlike ova, can survive for a number of days within crypts of your cervix.

During most of the cycle the cervical mucus is like a thick plug for your uterus that prevents sperm from entering it. However, due to hormonal changes in your body during your menstrual cycle preceding the time of ovulation, the cervical mucus increases in volume and becomes thinner and more stretchy than usual. At this time, it allows free entry of sperm into the uterus and assists pregnancy.

Cervical Mucus – Mobilizing Medium for Sperm
When ovulation occurs, a single, mature egg or ovum is released into the uterus from a follicle. This egg is fertilizable for only about 12 hours after which it will begin to disintegrate, if not fertilized. During ovulation the cervical mucus becomes thinnest, clearest and most abundant and comes to your aid. Sperm that have colonized in your cervical mucus through prior intercourse are now free in the thinner mucus to leave the cervix at any time and travel up into the uterus and through the tubes to find an egg. For most women cervical mucus functions in this way for at least two days prior to ovulation. In some women cervical mucus enables fertilization to occur up to a week before ovulation and pregnancy to still be able to take place.

Cervical Mucus – Barrier to Abnormal Sperm
The cervical mucus also acts as a barrier to abnormal sperm. An abnormally shaped sperm is much less likely to to be able to travel to the egg as quickly and easily as normal shaped sperm and actually can get slowed down in the cervical mucus. This natural selection process that takes place in the cervical mucus is effective in facilitating pregnancy in women.

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THANKS A LOT!!

Answer 2

Generally, it means you are about to ovulate. Although OPKs and/or charting temps is a good way to cross-check this.

Answer 3

it depends on the look and feel of the CM.. it changes with your menstral cycle...As your cycle progresses, your cervical mucus increases in volume and changes texture. The changes in the mucus that is secreted from the cervix reflect where you are in your cycle. The consistency of your cervical mucus changes during the cycle due to hormonal fluctuations. You are considered most fertile when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy. Many women compare mucus at this stage to raw egg whites.

Answer 4

charting your cervical mucus is only one way of finding out when you are ovulating. It is not cervical mucus but the texture. Women almost always have cm but at some points drier than others, you can still get some to test the texture. It is the "egg white" cervical mucus that is what you are looking for. This is your most fertile time. However......I would recommend using Ovulation prediction kits, I used it once and I am pregnant with number 2! You can get them at walmart 20 for $20 (answer....it is what I used) They do have more expensive and more high tech kits but answer worked fine for me. It is less invasive and much easier! Kind of like cheating! LOL Well, hope this hepls and good luck!