How to check cervical mucus

Glow

So, how does one check her cervical mucus? Here are a couple of easy methods:

Internal Method

Wash and dry your hands and reach a finger up to your cervix, located 3 to 6 inches inside of your vagina. Gently swirl your finger around to collect the mucus, being careful not to scratch yourself with your nail. Remove your finger and observe the mucus.  This is the most effective way to check your CM and it is also really simple!

External Method

If you’d rather not reach inside your body, you can check your cervical mucus externally. Gently wipe your vagina with toilet paper and observe the results. The external method typically works best after a bowel movement.

What You're Looking For

No matter which method you use to check your CM, there are certain questions you should ask to determine which kind of cervical mucus your body is producing.

  • Is the CM dry or wet?

  • Is is stretchy? Slippery?

  • Is it abundant or scarce?

  • What color is it?

Dos and Don'ts for Checking CM

DO

  • Check your CM at the same time every day

  • Check after a bowel movement - the fluid is moved closer to your vaginal entrance

  • Log your cervical mucus in the Glow app to help you keep track

DON'T

  • Check when you’re aroused. The body will be producing other secretions that can easily get confused for CM!

  • Check during sex or immediately after—semen can hide the true nature of cervical mucus.

  • Douche! Just don't do it. Douching washes away your natural vaginal secretions and can disrupt the patterns of your cervical mucus.

How Common is Checking CM?

We asked the Glow Community this exact question. Here's what we found: 

As you'll see in the poll results, almost 21% of Glow women said they checked their CM religiously. On the contrary, almost 42% said they don’t check their CM because they think it’s either gross or just plain confusing. 36% of Glow women polled said they check their cervical mucus occasionally, which is better than not at all but not quite enough to get familiar with the body's patterns for most people.

While checking your CM may not exactly sound like your idea of a good time, understanding your body enough to know when you're fertile is incredibly helpful for trying to conceive.  In fact, Glow data showed that new Glow users who were both trying to conceive and diligently tracking their cervical mucus were 1.2 times more likely to report a pregnancy by the end of 6 months! Needless to say, CM tracking is well worth the effort if you want to get pregnant fast.

Got more questions? The Glow Fertility Program is here to help you find all the information you need. Call 1-866-GLOW-NOW (1-866-456-9669) and talk to one of our experienced fertility coaches today.