Natural Family Planning Instructions:
Cervical Mucus Method

You need detailed instructions in all Natural Family Planning Methods.  This is to give you an overview and basics so you can make a choice.

Cervical Mucus has regular, cyclic pattern changes.  The cycle starts with the beginning of a period and ends at the beginning of the next period.  Normally cloudy and tacky, it becomes clear and slippery (similar to egg whites) before ovulation.  It will also be stretchy between your fingers (spinnbarkeit).  To use these changes for birth control, you must be religious in observing YOUR pattern changes.

Beginning with your period, the days you are having your period are considered unsafe because the blood can disguise changes in the mucus pattern.  After your period, you may have a few days when there is no mucus.  These are called dry days and are safe.  The amount of mucus then begins to increase once the egg starts to ripen.  Mucus will be cloudy, sticky and white to yellowish in color.  These are also safe days.  Then the mucus changes to the slippery, clear pattern a few days before ovulation.  This is the beginning of an unsafe (THE MOST UNSAFE) time.  The amount of mucus becomes the greatest just before ovulation.  The mucus may suddenly become cloudy and sticky again.  It also may completely disappear just before your period.  From the beginning of the change in your mucus pattern until it disappears or changes (four days after the greatest volume) are the days you must not have intercourse.  Once you are familiar with the mucus changes, you then only need to watch for changes until you are sure that you have ovulated.

PLEASE NOTE: You need to see and learn about the changes in your cervical mucus through the entire menstrual cycle before using this method.

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