Clear Mucus: Ovulation Discharge Or Vaginal Lubrication?

Clear mucus in women is a good fertility sign. If you get used to detecting it every cycle, you will be able to tell easily which days for you are favorable for conception. As you know, you can conceive a baby not any time but only when conditions in your organism are favorable, i.e. during ovulation that occurs approximately in the middle of your cycle. Being attentive to your cervical mucus helps to determine those important days or hours. Let’s look into the topic of clear vaginal discharge in more detail.

Where Does Clear Vaginal Discharge Originate From?

Clear vaginal discharge is also referred to as “cervical mucus”, i.e. mucus, produced by cervix. Female cervix is a muscular organ, shaped as a cylinder. The inner part of cervix is cervical channel. It’s covered from inside by epithelial cells, producing mucus. The mucus production by cervical channel is regulated by the hormones of the ovaries – estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen stimulates production of clear abundant, thin mucus, while progesterone provides thicker and stickier mucus. The amount and characteristics of cervical mucus reflect cyclic changes of menstrual cycle.

Characteristics Of Cervical Mucus

You may have noticed that your clear vaginal discharge is quite profuse some days. As a matter of fact, the amount of cervical mucus, produced in women of reproductive age range from 600 mg in the middle of menstrual cycle to 20-60 mg during other days of the cycle. Cyclic changes in consistency of cervical mucus regulate the survival of sperm cells and their penetrating capacity. Cervical mucus possesses a range of very important properties, such as:

Penetrability for spermatozoa into the uterine cavity during ovulation and limitation of this function on other days of the cycle
Protection of sperm cells from unfavorable influence of the vaginal acidic medium
Energy and nutrition, necessary for sperm cells
Filtrating effect: only strong sperm cells are accepted
Reservoir for spermatozoa

Cervical mucus is susceptible to migration of spermatozoa only during a limited period of menstrual cycle. The duration of this period varies from woman to woman and may range for the same woman in different cycles.

When Can A Woman Have Clear Mucus?

Speaking of clear vaginal discharge, practically anytime. Commonly it occurs in 2 cases:

During sexual arousal
During ovulation

Ovulation normally occurs in the middle of menstrual cycle, and it’s accompanied by clear stretchy vaginal discharge. Sexual arousal may happen any time and it causes clear vaginal lubrication (wetness). These two types of discharge look very much alike. And if you are monitoring your cervical mucus with a purpose to determine the best time for conception, sexual arousal may interfere with your diagnostics.

How To Distinguish Ovulation Mucus From Vaginal Lubrication Caused By Sexual Arousal?

Although they look alike, you can still distinguish them. Cervical mucus is insoluble in water unlike other vaginal secretions. You can make a test with a glass of water. Take a sample of your cervical mucus from the vaginal entrance and place it into water. If it’s cervical mucus, it will get shaped into a ball that sinks to the bottom of the glass. Vaginal secretions will simply dissolve in water.

As soon as you learn how to determine the quality of your cervical mucus, you’ll want to use this information for detection of the best timing for conception. This is the day when you sense most distinctly the presence of greasing substance in your vagina.

How To Tell It’s The X-Moment?

Knowing how to monitor your cervical mucus is very important for any woman. Not only you will be able to tell which days you can conceive, you can tell if your vaginal discharge is healthy or abnormal. So, let’s see how to do that.

Begin monitoring right after period. Pay attention to your vaginal sensations during the day (dryness, stickiness, wetness). These sensations will help you to determine when you are able to conceive.
Try to observe your vaginal discharge every time you use a bathroom. To ease the task, contract your vaginal muscles. That will promote withdrawal of cervical mucus. Vaginal contractions are good for women and you can do them any time, when you are watching tv or doing dishes, for instance.
Examine your cervical mucus at least 3 times a day, including morning and night. Don’t do that when you are sexually aroused, because lubrication will mix with cervical mucus and you won’t be able to tell whether your clear mucus is ovulation discharge or lubrication.
Put your clean finger inside the vaginal opening to take a sample of cervical mucus. Determine its characteristics (clear or opaque, sticky, stretchy, slippery, egg-white-like?)
A day prior to ovulation or on the ovulation day itself clear mucus looks like egg white. You can stretch it between your fingers. It’s usually abundant. Many women have such discharge during 1 day. Some experience it 2-3 days, while others only a few hours or overnight. This short period is the most favorable for conception.
Run a napkin along your labia after urinating. How easily does the napkin slide along? Do you feel your discharge like a greasing substance? Yes? That’s your moment X.
Since “egg-white period” may last for a few days, your day X is the last day of the “egg-white period”. Sometimes you may feel presence of greasing substance in your vagina although cervical mucus has stopped a day before. In this case that would be your most favorable day. For example, if yesterday was your last egg-white day and today you still feel presence of greasing substance in vagina, your peak day is today. You should mark it in your calendar and compare with your observations during the next few months to discover your own ovulation scheme. Ovulation doesn’t always occur as a clock but in most women this method turns out to be very helpful.

Clear Cervical Mucus & Fertility

Fertility phase of your menstrual cycle begins when clear mucus appears in your vagina. It may happen approximately on the 11^th day of your menstrual cycle. Ovulation hasn’t occurred yet, but the sperm cells, which have got into your reproductive tract these days may survive and wait for the ovum. As ovulation is approaching, cervical mucus is getting more abundant and elastic. You may stretch it between your thumb and forefinger for 8-10 cm. The last day of clear, wet and slimy mucus is your most fertile day. It means ovulation is close or has just occurred. The ovum, released during ovulation lives for only 12-24 hours. If you want to conceive, have sex on those days when your vaginal discharge is clear, elastic and slimy.

As you see, clear cervical mucus can be very helpful and tell you a lot about what’s currently going on inside your organism. Certainly you should pay attention not only to the coloring of your vaginal discharge. If it acquires unpleasant odor or causes you some discomfort, you may be dealing with vaginal infections which have to be ruled out as soon as possible.