The 2014 indie film Obvious Child begins with Jenny Slate’s character on stage, performing stand-up about her . . . cervical fluid. “I used to hide what my vagina did to my underpants, and by the way what all vaginas do to all underpants, okay? There is no woman who ends her day with, like, a clean pair of underpants that look like they’ve ever even come from the store. Okay? They look like little bags that have fallen face down in a tub of cream cheese and then commando crawled their way out and then caribineer-ed up into a crotch. They’re not items for anyone to see. Now I’m just like whateeeverrr. You know, I have a human vagina.”
I remember sitting in the theater, astonished by and grateful for her openness about something I’d tried to hide. No one had ever publicly acknowledged the visual reality of my day-worn underwear before. I’d spoken with a few friends in private about the mystery fluid, but it was new and heartening to hear it on a big screen with access to millions, to see her comfortably joke about what’s usually considered gross and publicly taboo. Intellectually, I knew the presence of this fluid was normal from biology class, but her words and openness about our shared experience made me feel more normal and less embarrassed. At the very least, I would be less self-conscious if my panties landed face-up on the floor of my boyfriend’s bedroom. I don’t want us to feel disgusted by our bodies, or disconnected from what they do. Sure, cervical fluid can be unpleasant at times, but it’s also an important indicator of what’s going on inside us. It can be a useful tool for understanding your body, if you know what to look for. With that in mind, let’s get down to talking about what’s in our underwear—and why it’s there.
What is it? The secretions you see in your underwear could be several things: cervical fluid (aka cervical mucus or vaginal discharge), arousal fluid, if you felt aroused within the hour or so, or sperm, if you had penetrative sex within 24 hours or so. What most people probably are wondering about is cervical fluid. It's produced by, well, the cervix, the donut-shaped tissue at the end of the uterus that extends into the vagina.
You’ve probably noticed the fluid in your underwear looks different at various times of the month. Throughout your menstrual cycle, the texture and color of the fluid change in response to the ups and downs of hormones estrogen and progesterone. These cyclic changes are not signs of infection! They are indicators of our health, fertile and infertile times, and where we are in our cycles.
Here are the types of fluid you may see during a cycle, based on the definitive guide to cervical fluid awareness, Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. The exact pattern, amount, sensation, texture, and color are different for everyone and may change cycle to cycle. If you use hormonal birth control, the hormones in the medication usually cause the fluid to stay thick, so you won’t notice a pattern.
Day 1 of your cycle is considered the first day of your period, so let’s begin there. The blood usually masks the presence or absence of cervical fluid, so it’s difficult to know what’s going on with our cervical fluid at this time. Once your period is over, you may have a few dry days, during which you see little to no fluid in your underwear or on toilet paper when you wipe. Your vaginal opening may still feel slightly moist though, because it’s a mucous membrane.
Next, you may notice sticky fluid, called that because it might feel tacky between your fingertips. Sometimes it feels springy or is flaky, too, but its distinguishing feature is it won’t feel wet. It may look like white or yellow streaks in your underwear and leave a crust.
Then, for a few days, you may see creamy or milky cervical fluid. It’s usually white, opaque, and wetter than the sticky stuff you saw before.
Fluid resembling raw eggwhite usually comes after that. Like raw eggwhite, it’s clear and slippery. You may feel like your vagina is lubricated. Have you ever felt like you started your period then gone to the bathroom and just seen fluid? It’s probably this type. If you put the fluid between your thumb and pointer finger, it can stretch an inch or more. In your underwear, it may look like a circle of fluid, because of its high water content.
After that, the fluid will usually get progressively stickier and dryer, until bleeding begins again. You may experience a watery day the day before you menstruate, which is probably the lining of your uterus beginning to break up.
So if you see any of the above types, know that these are all perfectly normal. Certain types of fluid can be signs of infection: Potential red flags include gray, green, or cottage cheese like mucus that smells bad to you. These signs could be reasons to contact your health care provider, especially when combined with itchiness, irritation, and/or swelling.
Okay, got it, but why’s it there?When sperm are released into the vagina, they swim through cervical fluid before they can reach the cervix and beyond. Cervical fluid is like a bouncer, and depending on the type of cervical fluid present, sperm will be able to pass through the fluid or not.
Remember the eggwhite fluid? While the presence of any cervical fluid can indicate a fertile time, eggwhite fluid is considered particularly fertile, because it’s usually present around the time of ovulation, when an egg is released. (It’s sperm’s BFF.) It protects, nourishes, and is pH-matched to sperm. Under a microscope, it looks like tons of tiny ferns, providing passageways that sperm can move through and filtering out irregular swimmers.
In this friendly fluid, sperm can stay alive for up to five days, hanging out at the cervix, waiting to see if an egg is released. If ovulation occurs, then they’ll bid adieu to the cervix and race to fertilize an egg in the fallopian tubes. Cervical fluid is just as critical to fertility as sperm, y’all! Without it, our acidic vaginas can kill sperm on contact.
Even if a potential pregnancy isn’t on your radar, these fluid changes are still relevant. They’re a sign of hormonal health, because our fluid responds to the incredible hormonal dance between estrogen and progesterone. And if we’re aware of the characteristics of our normal cervical fluid then we’re better able to recognize any abnormalities. Knowledge is power, and greater understanding of our bodies can lead to greater self-love.
Kelsey Knight is a labor and delivery nurse, lactation consultant, and educator in New York City. She recently returned from a three month, 15,000 mile reproductive health education tour across the US to teach about body literacy, informed choice, and, of course, cervical fluid, with her best friend, who is a doula. Their project is called The Fifth Vital Sign.