The Hormone and Anxiety Connection
October 3, 2024
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As hormone levels fluctuate in different stages of your cycle, so does the amount and thickness of your cervical fluid. The hormone estrogen peaks just before ovulation, causing cervical mucus to change from pasty or creamy to resembling watery, stretchy, raw egg whites. This wet, slippery discharge makes it easier for sperm to swim up the vagina and meet an egg. If you have sex at this time, you increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Keeping your hormones in balance is critical for maintaining healthy cervical fluid. I highly recommend hormone testing for all women trying to conceive so we can see where your hormone levels are at and make any adjustments needed to support optimal hormone balance
Egg white cervical mucus has the consistency of raw egg whites: it is stretchy, slippery, and holds its shape for at least an inch when you stretch it between your fingers.
Egg white cervical fluid is what you’re looking for to see if you’re ovulating—it’s critical for implantation and conception. Healthy cervical fluid literally creates swimming lanes for sperm and allows them to accurately reach the egg!
Cervical mucus monitoring is one of the techniques used to track your cycle and get pregnant. If you are trying to conceive, tracking the changes in your cervical fluid throughout your cycle may help you identify your fertile window so that you can accurately time intercourse to optimize successful conception.
Cervical fluid at ovulation that looks like raw egg whites, is stretchy, and holds its shape for at least an inch when you stretch it between your fingers is critical for implantation and conception.
Fertile cervical mucus—often referred to as egg white cervical mucus— actively nourishes sperm cells, creates the ideal environment for semen to thrive and move freely, and is needed to help sperm survive and swim from the cervix into the uterus and eventually the fallopian tubes.
If you’re using any variation of the fertility awareness method to track your cycle, you probably know how to check your cervical mucus to see if you’re ovulating … but what if you never get that stretchy raw egg white stuff everyone’s always talking about?
If you don’t notice this egg white cervical fluid, you may be experiencing anovulatory cycles.
Are you tracking ovulation with pee sticks?
And have you had your progesterone levels checked 7 days after your LH peak?
These are other important tools that can be used to confirm that you’re actually ovulating.
Think of your uterus as a swimming pool, your cervical mucus as water and the sperm as a person trying to swim. If the water was thick or mud-like, there’s no way a person could swim through it to reach the other side of the pool. This is how hard it is for sperm to reach your fallopian tubes if your cervical mucus isn’t fertile. It’s easier for sperm to swim up the uterus to meet an egg for conception in thin, wet, egg white mucus.
If your cervical fluid is dry, tacky, or simply not there, here are some tips for improving the 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 and 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 of your cervical fluid.
Orgasms energize your hypothalamus gland, which regulates appetite, body temperature, emotions, and the pituitary gland, which in turn regulates the release of reproductive hormones that induce ovulation and cervical fluid.
For those trying to start a family, timing can play a crucial role – a recent report found that women who have orgasms during sex, but after their male partners orgasm, retain more sperm than those who never hit the big O or hit it before their partner.
Make sure you are getting enough essential fatty acids each day in your diet. Most women are not getting enough EFAs through food, so I do recommend adding in essential fatty acids – both omega 3’s and also omega 9’s.
Essential fatty acids help to:
increases egg white fertile cervical mucus, which is needed to help the sperm reach the egg regulate hormones reduces inflammation increase blood flow to the uterus, helping with uterine quality for successful implantation reduces sensitivity to the hormone prolactin, which can suppress ovulation helps to regulate the menstrual cycle
All of these key areas are vital to healthy, adequate cervical mucus production.
OmegAvail Hi-Po is a highly potent, non-GMO omega 3 fish oil that helps regulate hormones, promote blood flow to the uterus, and increase cervical mucus.
Borage seed oil is also high in omega-6 essential fatty acids. It has been shown to increase cervical mucus, balance hormones, and is similar to evening primrose oil.
L-Arginine is an essential amino acid. Supplementation of L-Arginine helps to promote cervical mucus by supporting the production of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and helps to increase blood flow to the uterus, ovaries, and genitals. Proper circulation to the reproductive organs is vital to the production of cervical mucus.
Higher levels of Vitamin E in the body have been shown to improve estrogen levels, the main hormone responsible for producing ideal cervical mucus, which is critical to allow sperm to stay alive longer and efficiently reach the egg.
N-Acetyl Cysteine improves the quality of cervical fluid, improves hormone levels responsible for healthy cervical fluid, supports ovulation, and significantly improves egg quality because of its antioxidant nature.
Herbs that are demulcent and bitter are supportive of mucus gland production function. Some herbs are known to increase circulation to the genitals, while others support hormonal balance, which is also helpful. Making some of these herbs into a tea will also help to support daily hydration!
Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Licorice root(Glycyrrhiza glabra) Marshmallow root(Althea officinalis) Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Progesterone is a hormone produced mainly in the ovaries following ovulation each month, and it’s a crucial part of a healthy menstrual cycle, ovulation, fertility, and maintenance of pregnancy.
So what happens if you have low progesterone and want to get pregnant?
Not only is progesterone essential for maintaining the lining of the uterus, allowing a fertilized egg to attach and survive, progesterone also helps change your cervical mucus into perfect swimming lanes, allowing sperm to swim efficiently to meet the egg and fertilize successfully. Throughout pregnancy, progesterone levels stay elevated to allow for the full development of the baby throughout pregnancy.
The easiest—and best—way to optimize progesterone levels to support fertility and a healthy pregnancy is to use bioidentical progesterone.
It’s important to wait to begin using progesterone until 3 days AFTER ovulation. This mimics our body’s natural production of progesterone which doesn’t start until after we ovulate. Beginning progesterone too early in the cycle can stop the egg from being released.
It’s best to use progesterone in the morning and evening. Use every day starting 3 days post ovulation, until you either start your next period OR if you get a positive pregnancy test, keep using the progesterone through the 12th week of pregnancy when your placenta then takes over production and you’ll have plenty! ** Make sure to test for pregnancy before stopping progesterone if you go over your normal cycle length and haven’t started a period.
If you want to read more about using bioidentical progesterone to improve your fertility, check out this blog post: Using Bioidentical Progesterone to Naturally Increase Progesterone Levels.
When trying to conceive, always look for a lubricant designed specifically to be fertility-friendly. These can provide a protective environment for sperm as it makes its way through the female reproductive tract. Sperm-friendly lubricants mimic the consistency and viscosity of cervical mucus, making it a great match for sperm.
Lubricants marketed as “sperm-friendly” or “fertility-friendly” must be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold and meet very specific requirements.
As for the “best” option, I recommend Good Clean Love Fertility Lubricant. Good Clean Love is made without parabens, and is scientifically formulated to support sperm viability and healthy vaginal flora, BioGenesis Fertility Friendly Lubricant is the only water-based fertility lubricant of its kind that is both paraben free and packed with calcium and magnesium ions that are clinically proven to support your fertility journey. Through clinical trials, it’s been shown not to interfere with sperm parameters, cervical mucus penetration, or embryo development. The pH also matches that of fertile cervical mucus and semen.
The Fertility Code is the best-kept secret of women who want to take the guesswork out of conceiving, and give themselves every possible chance of getting, and staying, pregnant successfully.
Bringing together a personalized & custom approach, evidence-based information, science-backed protocols, and nurturing practices, this course is for anyone who is struggling to get pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant soon. The course is a one-stop-shop for getting your body, mind and soul prepared for conception.
In less than 3 months, you will learn exactly what you need to do now to get pregnant successfully and have a healthy full term pregnancy with The Fertility Code.
Sarah Jane Sandy is a certified nutrition therapist, and a fertility and women’s health expert. She has helped hundreds of women increase their fertility naturally and go on to have healthy full-term pregnancies. She has been working with women and couples trying to get pregnant for over 16 years and over 90% of the women who work with her get pregnant and have healthy babies.
She also works with women trying to fix their hormone imbalances, as well as supporting women through pregnancy and the postpartum period. Learn more about her own fertility and hormone journey here. To send Sarah a message, complete her Contact Form.
Curious about your fertility health? Take this simple quiz to find out what factors may be harming your fertility, and learn what you can do about it!
