The Ultimate Guide to Cervical Mucus, with Photos

When I first learned fertility awareness, my understanding of cervical mucus was really limited. I didn’t understand the full importance of cervical mucus until I took the FEMM training to be a fertility awareness instructor. To really use fertility awareness accurately, it’s important to observe both cervical mucus as well as basal body temperature.

Why is that? Cervical mucus is your real time indicator of fertility. It can tell you when your fertile window opens and closes!

If you’re feeling confused about your mucus, don’t worry! I’m going to deep-dive into the different types of cervical mucus as well as how to check for mucus!

Before we dig into the mucus categories, a quick disclaimer. Different methods of fertility awareness teach mucus in different ways, and I’ll be sharing just one perspective on cervical mucus. Other methods may classify things differently! It’s important to follow whatever method of fertility awareness you choose to use.

why is cervical mucus important, anyways?

Cervical mucus has a biological purpose. Without its presence, sperm would die very quickly in the vagina. Cervical mucus neutralizes the PH level of the vagina, nourishes and feeds sperm, and allows it to make the journey to the egg. Certain types of cervical mucus also filter out bad sperm, only allowing the “right” sperm to reach the egg. How cool is that?!

Cervical mucus is a hydrogel secreted by your cervical crypts. Your cervix is the entrance to your uterus, and it responds to hormonal changes throughout your cycle (specifically estrogen and progesterone).

Prior to ovulation, an egg is being recruited to mature while estrogen slowly builds, triggering the creation of estrogenic cervical mucus. At ovulation, estrogen is at its peak. Following ovulation is when the hormone progesterone takes over, until your next cycle, when the process starts all over again.

how do i check cervical mucus?

Check for mucus every day, every time you go to the bathroom, as well as pay attention to sensation throughout the day.

Sensation is important for categorizing your cervical mucus for the day. If it helps, close your eyes and decide what the sensation is before you look at the toilet paper. Once you’ve decided sensation, observe the colour, quantity and consistency. Then, at the end of the day, chart the most fertile mucus you observed that day on a paper chart or in an app.

Sensation can also be noted when you’re walking around during the day, you may feel a sensation of something, whether that’s a moist feeling, a dampness, a slickness, or wetness. Note that in your chart as well!

cervical mucus: what’s normal and what’s not

cervical mucus throughout the cycle

What is normal cervical mucus after your period ends, around ovulation, or before your next period?

After menstruation, you may notice several days of dryness, or even some unchanging discharge, before estrogen levels begin to rise.

As estrogen begins to rise and ovulation approaches, you may notice a change in your mucus from dryness or unchanging discharge to something more moist, watery, milky, creamy. This is all normal!

As estrogen rises to peak levels, and you’re around ovulation you may notice ES mucus. Mucus might feel slick or slippery, and you might see a clear or partly clear discharge that looks like raw eggwhites.

Once ovulation has passed, and you’re in the time before your period, you might notice an abrupt dry-up. It’s normal to have some discharge in the luteal phase, especially a sudden feeling of wetness or visible mucus right before your period starts.

Fertility Awareness Educator Note: If you’ve recently come off birth control, you might notice mostly G or EL days, with very little ES days. Think: a lot of creamy, pasty mucus day after day. This is normal, and your mucus changes will be more subtle, with a gradual improvement over time. If you’ve come off birth control and feel stumped by your mucus, working with an educator might be worth it!

the three cervical mucus categories

FEMM categorizes cervical mucus in three different types, which may be similar to other methods which categorize mucus into peak/non-peak mucus categories.

G mucus is influenced by progesterone. We experience G mucus as dryness because it generally stays up in the cervix as a barrier to infection and bacteria, and doesn’t make it’s way down.

EL and ES mucus are influenced by estrogen. Their job is to filter out bad sperm, facilitate the sperm reaching the egg, and to nourish and feed sperm so it stays alive.

G/Dry

Sensation: Dry, rough

Appearance: Nothing

Remember that your vagina is a mucus membrane, like the inside of your mouth. It will never be fully dry.
Not everyone will experience absolutely dry days. Some people have continuous, unchanging mucus immediately after menstruation. If this is the case you may want to seek support from a Billings Ovulation Method teacher to establish what’s called a Basic Infertile Pattern (BIP).

EL/Non Peak Mucus

Sensation: Moist or smooth

Looks: creamy, lotiony, clumpy, milky, tacky, school glue like, opaque.

After menstruation, you may notice several days of dry or unchanging discharge. Once estrogen begins to rise, you will begin to notice EL type mucus indicating what is called the “point of change.”

ES/ Peak Type Mucus

Sensation: Lubricative, slippery, slick, oily. May also feel like a water gush sensation as you’re walking around, like you just got your period.

Appearance: like raw eggwhites, clear or partly clear, stringy. Spotting may also be mixed in with ES mucus, which is normal around ovulation.

Your last day of ES before a switch to dry or EL mucus around ovulation is called peak day. Peak day marks the approximate time of ovulation.

Mucus is important, mucus is not gross, and mucus is a sign of health. Learning about what your cervical mucus means can help normalize it, turn something that may have been confusing into something empowering.

Cervical mucus is your real time indicator of fertility, and helps you identify ovulation! With that information, you can use the fertility awareness method to avoid pregnancy, and that’s a whole other level of empowering. Happy charting!