If you have been trying to get pregnant, you may be monitoring your cervical mucous. In fact, if you have not been thus far, now is a good time to start.
When you are approaching your monthly ovulation cycle, you may notice your cervical mucous starts to change. As you get closer to ovulation, your cervical mucous will become egg-white looking and stretchy. Then after you ovulate, your cervical mucous will begin to dry up.
But what happens to your cervical mucous if you are pregnant? Some women notice instant changes in their cervical mucous when they are pregnant, while others do not notice much of a difference at all in color or texture. For some women who do notice changes, they don’t notice during early pregnancy but rather later in the second and third trimesters. Every woman's body is different. Here are some things to know going forward with your monitoring.
Cervical Fluid During Pregnancy
Women may notice an increased cervical discharge when they are pregnant. Leukorrhea is a whitish colored vaginal discharge that women often see during pregnancy. The higher levels of estrogen produced during pregnancy cause the cervical glands to secrete more cervical fluid than usual. It may become more noticeable as a woman gets further along in her pregnancy and is most common in the third trimester. However, in some cases women do notice leukorrhea in early pregnancy.
What Type of Cervical Mucous Could Be a Symptom of Pregnancy?
Some women notice an increase in cervical mucous during early pregnancy, though it is more common as you get further along in your pregnancy. It is helpful to know what your typical cycle is like. If you normally have very dry cervical mucous and notice an increase in cervical mucous before your period starts, this could be an indicator that you are pregnant. However, as with any pregnancy symptom, it is not necessarily meaningful.
Keep in mind that some women notice changes like breast tenderness, frequent urination, or increased cervical mucous even when they are not pregnant. Still, if you ask women who have been pregnant before, many of them describe seeing creamy cervical mucous or sticky cervical mucous during the early stages of their pregnancies. This symptom may not give you a clear indication of pregnancy, so you may want to monitor your cervical mucous at the end of your cycle for comparison.
Many women find it difficult to distinguish between normal cervical mucous and pregnancy cervical mucous. If you have been pregnant before, it may be easier for you to tell if the cervical mucous you are seeing resembles “pregnant” cervical mucous. Either way, watching your cervical mucous may help you to determine what your own body’s natural production and consistency patterns are. Additionally, if you have been experiencing other pregnancy symptoms like breast tenderness or nausea, the added symptom of increased vaginal discharge may be a predictor of pregnancy.
Are you pregnant? Use JM's Due Date Calulator to find out when you are due.