Cervical mucus birth control method
By Mayo Clinic staffThe cervical mucus or ovulation method refers to the observation of mucus patterns during the course of your menstrual cycle. By recognizing the changing characteristics of your cervical mucus, you can determine when you're least and most likely to conceive.
Effectiveness rate. The typical effectiveness rate among users of the cervical mucus method is 78 percent. That means that 22 out of 100 women practicing this method for one year will get pregnant.
Side effects and health risks. The major downside of using the cervical mucus method is the requirement for prolonged abstinence or barrier methods. This method doesn't protect against STDs.
How to use the cervical mucus method. If you decide to use the cervical mucus method, you'll observe your cervical secretions every day, beginning the day after your menstrual bleeding has stopped. Here are some tips for using this method:
- Note and record the appearance, consistency and how the secretions feel. Fertile secretions are clear, stretchy, wet and slippery.
- Check your cervix position with your finger. During ovulation your cervix is slightly higher, softer and more open; before and after ovulation it's firmer, lower and closed.
- It's considered safe to have unprotected sex during menstruation and a few days after it, before noting fertile cervical mucus, as well as after ovulation, when mucus decreases in volume and becomes cloudy and tacky.
This method is less reliable for women who produce little mucus or if the natural mucus pattern is altered by external factors, such as reproductive tract infections, douches, feminine hygiene products and use of some medications such as decongestants.
Cost and availability. Using the cervical mucus method costs nothing, but classes that teach this technique may charge fees, which vary from region to region.
