Trying for a baby and want to learn how to improve your cervical mucus?
Then you’re in the right place.
Let’s face it cervical mucus isn’t something you really talk about with your girlfriends.
So getting tips on how to make it more fertile can be tricky to find when you are trying for a baby.
Cervical mucus is the vaginal discharge you get during your cycle which improves your chances of getting pregnant.
During certain times of your cycle, your cervical mucus is better for conceiving. Fertile cervical mucus is also known as egg white cervical mucus as that’s what it looks and feels like.
The environment fertile cervical mucus creates is perfect for nourishing sperm and help it travel towards the egg.
Better cervical mucus = higher chances of getting pregnant.
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Cervical mucus changes throughout your cycle. From thick and creamy non-fertile to lots of watery, sticky fertile mucus. It is an excellent natural way of detecting when you are most fertile.
It doesn’t cost anything to monitor, and you don’t need to buy equipment. If it’s taking a while for you to get pregnant, investigating your cervical fluid can flag up any issues including:
- Quantity – Not making enough
- Consistency – It’s too thick
- Quality – Acidic pH
Stork Mama put the question to pregnant moms: How did you improve your cervical mucus?
Answers were varied and wide; we sorted them for the most popular answers. Keep in mind a few of these suggestions are anecdotal or require studies to back up the claim.
Check out what we found.
Related: Best Fertility Lubricant Reviews for Trying To Conceive
Improve Egg White Cervical Mucus Quantity
1. Drink Water
This was our most popular answer for increasing the quantity of cervical mucus. Like most body secretions, cervical mucus is mainly made of water. Less cervical mucus will be made if your body is dehydrated. Make sure drink 8 glasses of water a day for healthy hydration.
If plain water isn’t your thing some women claim green tea improves their fertile mucus.
2. L-Arginine Supplements
The amino acid supplement L-Arginine supports the release of cervical mucus. It works by releasing nitric oxide which improves blood flow to your womb and vagina.
This helps you to release more discharge especially when ovulating. It can increase your libido and improve sexual sensation, so you are more likely to orgasm.
3. Get Fruity
Some women report grapefruit juice increases the amount of cervical mucus. You can drink fresh (not from concentrate) juice or eat one fruit a day. Some women have also reported the same effects with pineapple fruit, especially the core.
The theory is that they increase prostaglandins and pH of cervical mucus making it the best environment for sperm.
4. Eat Carrots
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene which helps to create vitamin A. Low levels of Vitamin A are associated with low levels of cervical mucus. Vitamin A from dietary sources will improve both the volume and quality of cervical mucus.
Some women recommend eating them raw or drinking carrot juice if you prefer. Synthetic Vitamin A found in supplements is not recommend for fertility use as high levels can cause birth defects.
5. Herbal Supplements
Some herbal supplements have properties which protect mucus in the body (demulcent). These herbs have been used for centuries to improve blood flow, hormone balance and support reproductive organs.
You can take herbs as a loose herb, tea, capsule or tincture. The best herbs for increasing cervical mucus are:
• Licorice Root
• Marshmallow Root
• Red Clover Blossom
• Ginger Root
• Gingko Biloba
6. Alternative Therapy
If you want to improve your fertility health and well being then a variety of alternative therapies may help to increase your cervical mucus.
We advise you book an appointment with a therapy professional. Some therapies you may want to try are reflexology, acupuncture as well as:
Aromatherapy – Rose Otto oil is recommended to increase fertile fluid. It is not recommended in pregnancy so stop using it after you ovulate.
Acupressure – The Ren 14 point is well known for increasing cervical mucus.
Improve Egg White Cervical Mucus Consistency
7. Chesty Cough Syrup
Using a chesty cough syrup can thin out thick cervical mucus. This makes it easier for sperm to swim through in the vagina. The key ingredient is guaifenesin, which loosens mucus in the body.
Most moms recommend using Mucinex or Robitussin as the other ingredients won’t interfere with your fertility. Take as directed on the bottle from your last day of bleeding up until you ovulate.
8. Evening Primrose Oil
An evening primrose oil (EPO) supplement will both thin out and increase the amount of cervical mucus.
It works by encouraging the production of more prostaglandins. Semen is made of prostaglandins, so it makes the vagina a perfect environment for sperm to thrive in. It’s important to remember to stop taking EPO as soon as you ovulate. It can irritate the uterus after this point and can cause problems with implantation.
9. Vitamin C
A dose of vitamin C is known to improve the amount and constancy. It works by increasing the amount of water in your cervical mucus.
It also increases blood flow to your womb, making it more suitable for pregnancy. There are lots of fruit plentiful in Vitamin C including oranges, strawberries, and peppers. Be careful not to overdose as too much vitamin C can cause your mucus to become too acidic.
10. Flaxseed
Flaxseed works well with the estrogen in your body. Improve your estrogen levels, and you’ll make more fertile mucus. It works in a similar way to evening primrose oil. However, you can take it throughout your whole cycle.
Flaxseed provides your body with lots of healthy fatty acid oils for healthy baby growth.
Improve Egg White Cervical Mucus Quality
11. Eat Healthily
For a better quality cervical mucus, start to increase your vegetable intake. This will make your cervical mucus more alkaline (high pH). Sperm survives better in an alkaline environment than acidic.
There are whole diets dedicated to eating alkaline foods. If you don’t want to go too drastic, start by cutting out too many acidic processed and sugary foods.
12. Fertile CM Supplement
If you like the idea of taking a multi-vitamin to improve your cervical mucus, then try Fertile CM. It contains a lot of the vitamins we have already recommended such as L arginine, vitamin C and calcium.
As a result, this supplement is a triple threat as it improves the amount, consistency and quality of your fertile mucus.
13. Get Active
Exercise can increase the quality and quantity of your cervical mucus. Blood flow will increase around your whole body making the cells which produce your mucus work better.
They will get more oxygen and nutrients, making it a great environment for sperm to swim in.
Avoid Hostile Cervical Mucus
14. Avoid Antihistamines
Regular use of allergy medication or decongestant can dry up your cervical mucus. The active ingredients are designed for this. Main culprits for this are brands such as Benadryl or Sudafed.
If you need to take these for health reasons you may find our next suggestion useful.
15. Use a Substitute
Consider Pre-Seed if you continue produce little cervical mucus. Most personal lubricants are not sperm friendly.
Pre-seed mimics cervical mucus and acts as a fertility aid. If you take fertility drugs or medication which causes a lack of egg white mucus, then it’s a great alternative. You can check out our reviews of the best fertility lubricants here.
16. Limit Dairy
If you eat a lot of dairy, it may be affecting your cervical mucus. Dairy foods will thicken your cervical mucus making it harder for sperm to swim through. It’s acidic to eat and may the lower pH of your cervical mucus.
If you are worried about your calcium intake, then eat more whole grains and leafy vegetables. A calcium supplement can also help make your mucus the perfect pH for sperm.
17. Stop Smoking
You probably already know it’s best to stop smoking when trying for a baby. Smoking dehydrates the body and can reduce the amount of mucus you make.
A study has shown that nicotine levels can be found in the cervical mucus of women. Not only is this a bad start for baby but increases your chance of getting cervical cancer.
18. Watch out for Chemicals
Chemicals are all around your everyday life. These can affect your body and play havoc with your hormones. A hormone imbalance can lead to a lack of cervical mucus or even affect your ovulation.
Heavily scented products such as cosmetics, perfumes deodorants, candles or air fresheners are the worst offenders. Try switching to natural products where you can.
19. Cut Out Caffeine
If you like to drink a lot of tea, coffee, soda or energy drinks it time to cut back. Caffeine is very dehydrating to the body and can undo any effects of drinking more water. This can result in a poor quality cervical mucus with a low pH, very bad for sperm.
If you are struggling with no cervical mucus, we recommend giving it up even for one cycle to see if it makes a difference.
