Creamy cervical mucus what does that mean

This includes vaginal discharge. The vagina is designed to care for itself and prevent future infections. Normal, healthy vaginal discharge plays an important role in this. Seeing white spots in your urine? It could be several things, from an infection to kidney stones. Learn more about the possible causes. Some research has shown that regular bidet use could increase your exposure to certain pathogens. Learn more. Yeast infections are common.

Here are seven of the best over-the-counter products to help manage a yeast infection. The Bartholin glands are a pair of glands, near the opening of the vagina. If a duct from one of the gland gets blocked, fluids can build up…. A cyst may form if…. If you have vaginal atrophy, you may wonder if it can be reversed.

With treatment, some women find that their symptoms improve. Although antibiotics can help treat bacterial vaginosis BV , it often comes back. There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of…. Here's what your cervical mucus looks like before your period, after ovulation, and every day in between so you can predict the days you're most likely to conceive. Start Slideshow. Credit: Peter Ardito. Cervical Mucus Type 1: Least fertile You produce the least amount of cervical mucus immediately after your period.

Cervical Mucus Type 3: High fertility As your egg starts to ripen, your body produces type 3 cervical mucus. Type 4 of Cervical Mucus Most Fertile.

Cervical Mucus Type 4: Most fertile Your body produces the most cervical mucus as it prepares for ovulation. Sticky White Icing Smear. Credit: Blaine Moats. Credit: Rawpixel. These photos will give you an idea of what to check for as you track your ovulation to find out your most fertile days. Everybody is different, and you may not see these exact variations in your own cervical mucus.

The main thing to look for is some kind of change mid-cycle. In the meantime, you'll improve your chance of conceiving by having sex every two days to three days throughout your cycle. You can check your cervical mucus by wiping with clean toilet paper, or by inserting a clean finger into your vagina and reaching upwards toward your cervix. After your period, you'll probably have a few dry days, where you don't notice much cervical mucus.

A few days after this, you may notice some wetness, which could be yellow, white or cloudy. This type of mucus can be a sign that your body is starting to get ready for ovulation.

Because sperm can live inside you for up to a week, waiting for an egg to be released, it's worth having sex every two to three days during this phase. When you're at your most fertile, you may notice an increase in cervical mucus, and find that it becomes wetter and more slippery. It looks and feels like raw egg whites and it can stretch about 5cm without breaking in the middle. This "egg white" cervical mucus is the most fertile, as it allows sperm to swim easily into the cervix. It's also a sign that you're about to ovulate.

For the best chance of conceiving, have sex every two to three days during this fertile time. Sperm can live for up to seven days inside you, waiting for an egg to be released.

Even before you notice a visual change, cervical fluid will already have become more fibrous and difficult for sperm to pass through 1. In the day or two after ovulation the beginning of the luteal phase , the amount of fluid decreases quickly. Fluid again may become sticky or tacky, or just dry and absent 1,4.

Every body is unique—these changes may show up differently for you, or you may experience or interpret them in a different way. So why does your cervical fluid change so much? Each change serves its own function. Sperm that enters the vagina before ovulation can be suspended in this fluid, allowing it to survive longer in the otherwise acidic vaginal environment 1.

Sperm can start to swim through creamy discharge from about day 9 of a day cycle 1. When ovulation does occur, the stretchy egg-white fluid becomes the easiest fluid type for sperm to swim through 6. Slower swimmers get left behind, as do sperm with other motility or structural abnormalities 2,8. After ovulation when the window of potential pregnancy has closed, cervical fluid becomes a barrier, preventing sperm from entering the upper reproductive tract.

The progesterone produced by your ovary in your luteal phase acts similarly to the progestin in a progesterone-only birth control. It turns cervical fluid sparse and dense with solids, with little water, making it difficult for sperm to get past the cervix 9.

Changes in your cervical fluid pattern can signal a hormonal issue. This will usually be accompanied by changes in the length of your cycle and period. Discharge can also become abnormal if you have an infection. Signs of abnormal discharge include changes in:. Color : gray, green, yellow, or brown. Volume : significant and unexpected in volume. Smell : fishy, metallic, or just different. Understanding your body can improve usage of non-hormonal birth control.