To put it simply, you have wet days and you have dry days. On the wet days you’re fertile, and on the dry days you are not.

The important thing to observe is whether you feel wet or dry down there. It’s rather intuitive. If you observe an increasing amount of moisture around your vaginal area especially with a slippery sensation, you’re likely to be fertile, and vice versa.

Here is the typical pattern of a woman’s cervical fluids during her menstrual cycle…

1. Menstruation.

2. Absence of Cervical Fluid (DRY DAYS). Right after your period, you have a few days without any cervical fluid.

3. Sticky Cervical Fluid (DRY DAYS). After a few days of dryness, you may observe a type of cervical fluid that is pasty, tacky, crumbly, gummy, springy and dry like rubber cement (usually white or yellow).

Note: Even though this type of cervical fluid is not conducive to sperm survival, it’s considered possibly fertile if it occurs before ovulation.

4. Creamy (WET DAYS). In the next few days, you’ll notice a creamy, milky and smooth vaginal discharge (usually white or yellow), and feel the wet, moist, gooey, or cold vaginal sensation. This is an indication that you’re approaching ovulation.

5. Slippery and/or Eggwhite (WET DAYS). Then you may notice clear, slippery, eggwhite-like discharge that can be stretched from one to several inches. Even though it’s usually clear or streaked, it can also be yellow, pink, brown or red-tinged, which indicates the presence of possible ovulation bleeding.

Women in their early 20s may have as many as five days of slippery eggwhite discharge, but women in their late 30s may have only a day or two, if any.

During these days you’re extremely fertile. So juice up for lovemaking if you’re trying to conceive, or use protection if you don’t want to get pregnant. Note that you may still be fertile if you feel the wet vaginal sensation a day or two after the slippery or stretchy cervical fluid has passed.

6. Absence of Cervical Fluid (DRY DAYS). After ovulation when the estrogen has peaked and progesterone has taken over, your cervical fluid dries up quickly – usually in less than a day. Here you have a window of dry days until your next menstruation. However, this is accurate only if you have ovulated. So track your basal body temperature or take an ovulation test to be sure.

7. Next Menstruation.

Before I started charting my cervical fluids, I had no clue about the stages of my menstrual cycles, when I was fertile and when I was not. Now I’ve learned to rely on them to tell me where I’m at during my menstrual cycles – with consistency, reliability, and predictability.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to start tracking yours with our FREE PERIOD/OVULATION TRACKER. Know thyself – starting with your cervical fluid :)

Recommended Reading

What Does Your Vaginal Discharge Tell You

When Is it Safe to Have Unprotected Sex