Guest Author - Amanda Binion

Cervical mucous tends to increase after your period, changing slowly from a creamy consistency (kinda like lotion) to a clear, stretchy discharge more like egg whites. It is helpful to take note of these changes. Most women tend to be dry after ovulation, while some will have creamy discharge again until Aunt Flo appears. Egg white cervical mucous is sperm friendly and appears usually a couple days before actual ovulation. The rule is, if you have this egg white mucous and you haven’t confirmed ovulation yet, then consider yourself fertile!

There are 7 consecutive days considered fertile in a cycle, ovulation being day 6. These are the days to focus on if you’re trying to conceive, or to avoid if you want to prevent. It may take a couple months of charting before you know when you’ll be ovulating, then it’s as simple as abstaining or using a temporary contraceptive (condoms, foam, etc.) until ovulation has been confirmed by a temp spike. The egg, after release, will wait around for 12-24 hours to be fertilized, so the day after ovulation is still considered fertile. Checking cervical position is completely optional, but I find it helpful. The only way to check your cervical position is to insert a finger into your vaginal opening (I know, eww!). It will feel kind of like the end of your nose, only with a dip in the middle. During the fertile period, the cervix tends to be soft, high (harder to reach), open, and wet (referred to as SHOW). Any other time in your cycle it will be firmer and easier to reach.

I was really grossed out at the start of all this, but at this point I could never go back to conventional birth control. I love having an idea of what is going on with my body, and I’m so much more appreciative of Aunt Flo showing up every cycle to give me a new start. Charting is also helpful for women with irregular cycles (like me). Based on my chart, I know what supplements I need to be taking to regulate my cycle.

While I know the whole thing sounds complicated, it has become a way of living for me. I take my temp every morning and write it down, and I put it on my chart online that night in addition to all my symptoms that day. I’m so accustomed to doing it, I often forget that I have, and get online to find all my information already charted.

The internet holds a world of information on charting for the purposes of both conception and preventing. I learned charting in one cycle, and it’s much easier to understand than I had originally anticipated. So good luck to all, and happy charting!