Ovulation Discharge
Let’s talk about what your discharge typically looks like around the time you are ovulating, how it compares to vaginal discharge & best ways to check for ovulation discharge.
Hello, I am so thrilled to be here.
For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Michelle Cooke, Period & Hormone Naturopath, Menstrual Cycle Charting Educator & Emotion Release Technique (ERT) Practitioner. I help women struggling with their menstrual cycles, have easy, pain-free periods, balanced hormones & emotional wellbeing. I’m the Founder and Director of Reproductive Wellness. I see patients online and face-to-face.
What is vaginal discharge?
Vaginal discharge is an umbrella term that includes cervical mucus but also includes other secretions of fluids that are produced by the vagina and the glands near the vaginal opening. The purpose of all secretions other than cervical mucus are to maintain a healthy pH balance, keep the vagina clean and protect against infections.
What is cervical mucus?
This is the fluid that is produced by your cervix, specifically by the crypts which are like little pockets in your cervix. The fluid is also referred to at all times of your menstrual cycle as cervical mucus or fluid. Around ovulation time it is referred to as ovulation discharge or ovulation cervical mucus.
Your cervical mucus will change in terms of the way it looks, feels and the amount produced at different moments in time throughout your menstrual cycle due to the hormonal fluctuations. Women will typically have a basic infertile pattern. This is the type of cervical mucus that you can sense at the vulva (external genitals) most of the time. There are two different types of basic infertile patterns: Type 1 which is a sensation of dryness & Type 2 which is a sensation of slightly moist. It you have a longer menstrual cycle 35 days or more, it can be common to experience both types of these basic infertile patterns of cervical mucus.
Your cervical mucus will either be potentially fertile: wet, slippery, egg white, stretchy.
Or non-fertile: Dry, sticky, tacky, pasty or creamy. Always think to yourself, can sperm swim through that, this gives you an idea of whether it is fertile mucus or not.
Cervical mucus will either support or block sperm from fertilisation potential. This is why if you intention is to improve your conception attempts identifying your fertile window is crucial. Sperm won’t survive with basic infertile patterns of mucus present. This is the type of vaginal discharge that we are tracking when assessing fertility. Remember being fertile is more than just being able to conceive. Fertility or being fertile is the ultimate state of health for a woman.
It is highly beneficial to track your cervical mucus throughout your menstrual cycles to help warn the approach of ovulation. This is important not only for when you are trying to conceive, but also for contraception and general health & wellbeing. I feel like all too often charting only seems to come into play when the desire is to have a baby. But I feel that all women can benefit in so many ways from menstrual cycle charting.
What is ovulation discharge?
This is produced around the time of ovulation with the purpose of protecting sperm from the acidic environment of the vagina and providing channels that it can swim through & nutrients to sustain the sperm on the incredible voyage to the egg. Even if your intention is not to conceive, this is just how our bodies operate.
Ovulation cervical mucus is typically described as being slippery, stretchy or egg white in consistency. For some women, it can be blood tinged around ovulation which may appear as light pink, light red or brown in colour which mixes in with the cervical mucus. This is known as ovulation spotting, which is a very minimal bleed, lighter than a light bleed would be when you have your period for instance.
How to check vaginal discharge
Here are some ways to check:
Observe through the day – The best way to observe your cervical mucus is throughout the day taking notice of the sensation that you feel at the vulva (the opening of the vagina).
Have a look when you go to the toilet – Before doing a wee, wipe your vulva with toilet tissue and observe what you see there. You can also feel what it feels like by touching the cervical mucus from the toilet tissue with your fingers
Check your underwear – This will give you an idea of what it looks like visually. Again, you can feel the consistency by scooping some into your fingers.
What not to do:
Do not insert fingers into the vagina because as mentioned, there are other secretions produced by the vagina and surrounding glands so this can create confusion as to what cervical mucus is present for you.
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