Those of you who track the position and feel of your cervix now and then have often had many questions, about how it feels and if it is normal. I am going to give you a little biology lesson, If I may, to help you along the way. If you are tracking your cervical position from the

*follicular phase* (right after your peroid) the cervix feels hard, closed, and low. As ovulation approaches, the CM becomes more watery and lubricative/slippery and stretchy like raw eggwhites and the cervix begins to soften.

*ovulation* the cm is typically very stretchy, slippery, and clear (looks and feels like eggwhites). This fertile fluid helps the sperm move toward the egg and protects sperm from the acidity of the vagina, which would normally kill them. The cervix feels higher, softer, and more open.

*Luteal phase* (alot of people get confused about this phase, and think because their cervix is low and hard that they are out, but this is not the case) Progesterone is high during the luteal phase; it is a heat inducing hormone and thus raises the basal body temperature (BBT) by several tenths of a degree for the duration of the cycle. The jump in basal body temperature that remains steady indicates a woman has ovulated.

The cervix feels low, firm, and closed during the luteal phase.

When menstruation happens the cervix still remains low firm and open during this period.

If conception or implantation does not occur, the corpus luteum in the ovary will shrivel about 14 days after ovulation and will cause a sharp decrease in both estrogen and progesterone, triggering the onset of menstruation and the beginning of a new menstrual cycle. The unfertilized ovum is about the size of a grain of sand; it is shed as part of the menstrual fluid.

And finally *conception* In order for conception to occur, semen must first survive the acidity of the vagina (fertile cervical fluid changes the vaginal pH to be more alkaline and sperm friendly) and then swim through the cervical canal into the body of the uterus and then into the oviduct to greet a woman’s egg. If an ovum is fertilized by sperm in the oviduct (called conception), the fertilized egg (blastocyst) migrates into the uterine lining, where it will implant approximately 7 to 14 days after ovulation. The corpus luteum will continue to provide high levels of progesterone to support pregnancy until the placenta takes over that job in approximately 12 weeks. with help from-

http://www.beautifulcervix.com/your-cycle/

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