Cervical Position

Checking your cervical position seems like something that only your ob or midwife can do, but it is something that can be done very easily at home. Why check the position of your cervix at all? Just like the texture of the cervical mucus, the cervical position is a telling sign of your fertility and can help you to eliminate doubts about your best time to try to conceive. Besides, knowing your body is truly empowering and makes you more in control.

The cervix or the neck of the uterus is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus. If you think of the vagina as a hallway, the cervix is the door at the other end. It is cylindrical or conical in shape. Half of it can be touched, the remainder lies above the vagina. Cervix means neck in Latin.

The part of the cervix that you can access is the ectocervix. It is about 3 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. It is elliptical and is divided into anterior and posterior lips.

The cervix position you can check is actually the ectocervix's opening. It is called external os. The external os varies with age, hormonal state and whether the woman has given natural birth. If you have not given vaginal birth before, the cervix feels like a small, circular opening. If you have given birth naturally, it appears larger and wider. It might feel like open along a line or gaping. The cervix is low, firm and closed before and after ovulation and high, soft and open just before and during ovulation. During most of the menstrual cycle, the cervix is closed and feels as firm as a nose. When you approach ovulation, the cervix becomes softer like a lip and rises higher creating an opening. This is due to the high levels of estrogen during ovulation. The same changes influence the creation of fertile type of cervical mucus which nourishes and supports the survival and movement of the sperm.

During childbirth, contractions of the uterus will dilate the cervix up to 10 cm in diameter to allow the child to pass through. During orgasm, the cervix convulses and dilates, which can draw semen into the vagina and increase the likelihood of conception.

Cervical Position

The cervical position is influenced by the release of estrogen which make it change its position and texture. Checking cervical position can help you confirm if the cervical mucus is fertile, especially if it is mixed with left over semen.

To check the cervical position, you need just a few minutes and you do it every so many days.

First, realize that it is ok to touch your body. This is your body, and belongs to you more than to anyone else. If you can trust your partner or doctor to touch, how much you should trust yourself. You cannot hurt yourself. Make sure your finger nails are cut and you are very gentle, feel comfortable and calm. This is not a medical procedure, but a way to know your body better and to read your body signals. Checking your cervix does not come close to sex. doing this is completely normal and many women use this method to define their most fertile days. Moreover, knowing this part of your body will prepare you for understanding how natural birth works too.

So now, here is how you can check cervical position:

1. Wash your hands very well. do not do it if you are dealing with a vaginal infection or have suspicion of having an unhealthy vaginal discharge. Washing your hands will prevent the introduction of any dirt or infection in your reproductive system.

2. Find a position you feel most comfortable and relaxed in. You can do this while you take a shower, or while you are sitting on the toilet, or you can do it squatting, or standing upright and lifting one leg up on the toilet seat or bathtub edge.

3. Reach with your finger through the vagina. The vagina should feel soft and spongy and as you reach further you can feel a firm round dimple. This is the cervix. It will be as firm as your nose, when you are not fertile and as firm as lips when you are fertile and will be higher. That is why it is better to learn how to check your cervical position in the unfertile period just after your menses or a few days after ovulation. Because on your fertile days, it might be harder to locate it, as the cervix gets higher, or it might be soft and you cannot feel very well the difference between your vagina and the cervix.

When you are ovulating the cervix mores higher up, becomes soft and open. It will be very easy for you in time to recognize your fertility days knowing the position of your cervix.

4. If you are checking your cervical position, you can just as well record it on the fertility chart. Mark it as high, medium or low position, note down how it feels -- firm, medium or soft and whether it is open or closed.

If in the beginning, it is confusing, do not worry, this is a skill that is easy to master and with patience and persistence you will be an expert.

Some things to consider:

1. Do not check cervical position after sex. The hormonal surge will change the position and feel of the cervix and it is not a reliable sign.

2. If you have given birth naturally, the cervix might be high and gaping and may never feel closed. As ovulation approaches, you still be noticing changes as it will definitely become softer and rise higher.

3. Sometimes during ovulation, the cervix might be quite higher and you might not be able to reach. It is just fine. Check your mucus and if it is stretch egg white, probably this is one of your most fertile days and you can have baby dance.

Is the cervical position a sign of pregnancy?

During pregnancy your cervix goes back to its high position and is closed. A mucus plug is formed covering it to protect unwanted bacteria from entering the uterus. This varies from woman to woman and is not a sign of pregnancy that you can rely on. When you approach birth, your cervix is low and open, the mucus plug comes out and the passage gets ready for the baby to pass.