[Natorock]

Okay...so I know that because I have recently come off the pill, I shouldn't expect things to be normal (neccesarily) but I'm getting confused about some things. Can someone try and straighten me out?

When I check my CM from the outside, I get just dampness...not really anything. But if I check internally, I get creamy. Which one is right? Acording to "Taking charge of your fertility", I can use either as long as I am consistent...but I figure if I'm going to check my cervical position I may as well check CM internally since I'm already in there.

What do you think? which should I do? It's VERY Important because I need dry days to have unprotected sex (using as contraceptive) and I can't tell if it is a truly dry day or not!



Thanks for any advice!!!

[Acadia]

If you are using it as a contraceptive I think it's very important to check it internally.

There are even days when I get EWCM checking internally and nothing externally. I could think I was perfectly safe if I didn't want to conceive when I am actually not safe. KWIM?

Sticky and creamy aren't considered fertile though ... so I'm not sure why you're looking for bone dry days. Those don't happen often. If I had only had sex on days with zero CM while I was still TTA I would have been having sex about twice a month.

ETA: Ahh, now I see. You're just learning your cycles. I'd use some other kind of contraception (if you're not against it, that is) until you are sure about things and definitely until you're done researching everything you need to know. Either that or avoid BDing until you are sure you've ovulated.

[Natorock]

Thanks very helpful indeed!

[ShawnaCAN]

I'm not quite sure about your question, but if you wanting to chart to avoid pregnancy it is very important to learn from a certified instructor. Charting to avoid is quite different than charting to conceive.


But to answer, there are several ways to check for mucus - and internally is actually the least accurate. During times of infertility in a woman's cycle, the mucus dries up as is passes through the vagina over glands called the Pockets of Shaw. If you go looking for it internally, you will think you are fertile more than you really are because it disrupts the process that the mucus has to go through. If you would like to check your cervix, just to it at the end of the day and ignore any mucus you find inside!

As for how to check, there are lots of ways. The Billings Ovulation Method reccomends paying attention to what you FEEL as you walk around during the day because the nerve endings at the vulva are so sensitive that you can feel mucus when it takes 10 times the amount to actually see it. You might start to feel wet a day or two before you actually SEE any mucus - and this is very important for avoiding pregnancy, because that feeling of wetness means your fertiltiy has begun! Of course, you also jot down anything you happen to see.

Other methods reccomend looking at the toilet paper before and after you go to the bathroom and describing what you see.

ALL MUCUS IS POTENTIALLY FERTILE!!!! ALL MUCUS! Sticky or creamy or "less fertile" mucus has the ability to keep sperm alive and lock it away for up to 5 days while your body waits to ovulate. The mucus produced closest to ovulation, that which is slipppery or clear, unlocks the sperm and creates channels for it to travel quickly to the ova.

Some women have infertile vaginal discharge that is not fertile, but is similar to sticky/creamy mucus. This is called a Basic Infertile Pattern of Discharge. In order to accurately identify a BIP of Discharge, you need 3 full cycles first! You can't assume anything is infertile until it is proven to be so according to a scienticially proven set of protocols for evaluating it (a teacher can help you with that!)

So if you want to avoid pregnancy, then yes - at this point the only thing you can consider infertile is dry days. These are the rules for avoiding pregnancy:

1. Intercourse is available on alternating evenings after your period AS LONG AS YOU REMAIN DRY. If you feel or see any mucus or spotting, abstain until you have 3 full dry days again. The reason for alternating evenings is so that you have a full 24 hours for seminal fluid to leave the body, and then another full day to make mucus observations again to be sure you are still dry. So if intercourse happens on Monday evening, all day Tuesday for fluid to leave the body, all day Wednesday to make sure you are still dry and don't miss the beginning of your fertile time by accident.

2. Once ovulation is confirmed, you are infertile from the fourth day past your fertility Peak. That's because there is no way to know the EXACT day of ovulation except by daily ultrasound. Charting gives us a very close estimate, but it's still only accurate within 2 days. If you happen to ovulate 2 days after your fertility Peak, then the egg lives for 24 hours, that makes 3 days. So by day 4, the egg is definitely dead and the rest of the cycle is open for intercourse - even if you notice mucus or discharge. You get to ignore it afer Peak has been confirmed! Dry days only matter during the pre-ovulatory part of the cycle. And boy, do they matter!

This is probably a lot of information in one sitting. Again, much less confusing to learn from a teacher who can walk you through it all! To chart to achieve pregnancy, one only needs to know the basics. To avoid, there's a lot more that goes into it!

P.S. It's normal to have a lot of sticky or creamy mucus coming off the pill because the pill damages the part of the cervix where mucus is produced and it just takes some time to heal completely to make good quality mucus again.

P.S.#2 OPK's are really fun too! But be aware that they don't give enough advance warning for avoiding pregnancy. Use them to confirm your charting, but don't rely on them for when to start abstaining - it would be too late.

P.S. #3 - Teaching information in Ontario:
http://www.naturalfamilyplanning.ca
http://www.fertilitycare.org/locations/ontario.htm

[Natorock]

whoa...thanks! I will be sure to be more careful and get more learned!

[ShawnaCAN]

Hope I didn't overwhelm you! It's like learning to tie your shoes - try to explain to someone how to do it and it sounds very complicated. But with a little help, it becomes so second nature you don't even have to think much about it.

[Natorock]

aha! you got that fron TCOYF

[ShawnaCAN]

aha! you got that fron TCOYF[/b]

No! From The Art of Natural Family Planning actually! Toni Weschler must have read that too! LOL

[Natorock]

Man! What an exciting CM day I am having! I just checked my CM (from outside) and there was A LOT! and up until now I don't think I really understood what 'dry' meant...but now I think I'm starting too.

Anyways, at first I thought it was certainely creamy (on my fingers) but then when I wiped with a toilet paper, it was gooey and stretchy.

Can you have both Creamy and Egg White together? Or can Creamy also be stretchy to some extent?

At any rate I AM NOT having unprotected sex tonight...but I want to know so I can learn more about myself.

Also, I have been feeling wet on the outside and "aware" of my girly bits today...is that normal?

[ShawnaCAN]

Can you have both Creamy and Egg White together? Or can Creamy also be stretchy to some extent?

Also, I have been feeling wet on the outside and "aware" of my girly bits today...is that normal? [/b]

1. Yes, you can. But at the end of the day, always write down your most fertile mucus of the day - eggwhite is more fertile than creamy. So write down egg white, even if you only saw it once during the day - it's the most fertile.

2. Those feelings you describe are EXACTLY the kind of awarenss that the whole Billings Ovulation Method form of charting is based on. In fact, it is how blind women have been able to use the Billings Method to successfully avoid pregnancy.

[Natorock]

wow...the body is SO COOL! Thanks for your quick reply...