Cervical Position (Optional)
The cervical position is the one fertility sign that often takes more than a cycle to grasp, since you probably haven't had experience feeling your cervix. It may take a few cycles to be able to tell the difference between high and low, soft and firm, or open and closed.
As you approach ovulation, your cervix tends to rise, soften, and open. It progresses from feeling firm like the tip of your nose (when not fertile) to feeling soft like your lips as you approach ovulation. Your cervix will drop dominant after ovulation. By simply inserting your clean middle finger, you can detect these subtle changes.
The cervical position is an optional sign, but it is especially helpful if either of the other primary signs are confusing in any particular cycle. It should never be relied upon alone. The best time to observe dramatic changes are right around ovulation, when the cervix shift the most abruptly.
Observing Your Cervix
As you approach ovulation, your cervix tends to rise, soften, and open. It progresses from feeling firm like the tip of your nose (when not fertile) to feeling soft like your lips as you approach ovulation. Your cervix will drop dominant after ovulation. By simply inserting your clean middle finger, you can detect these subtle changes.
The cervical position is an optional sign, but it is especially helpful if either of the other primary signs are confusing in any particular cycle. It should never be relied upon alone. The best time to observe dramatic changes are right around ovulation, when the cervix shift the most abruptly.
Observing Your Cervix
- Begin checking your cervix once a day after menstruation has ended.
- Always wash your hands with soap first.
- Try to check about the same time each day.
- The most effective position in which to check is squatting, since this pushes the cervix to the vaginal opening. However, some women prefer to check while sitting on the toilet.
- Use your finger as a convenient gauge. Insert your middle finger and remember the mnemonic device SHOW as you observe the following conditions of the cervix:
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Softness (firm, medium, or soft)
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Height in the vagina (low, midway, or high)
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Opening (closed, partly open, or open)
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Wetness (nothing, sticky, creamy, or slippery eggwhite)
