Changes in cervical mucus can be one of the telling signs of pregnancy, although there are other symptoms that are generally more noticeable and more reliable.  Some of these might include backache, morning sickness, increased sense of smell, swollen or tender breasts, or darkening of the areola.  In addition, the less obvious cervical changes may differ greatly from one woman to the next.  Ultimately, the best way to tell if you are pregnant is not through the symptoms of pregnancy or by observing changes in the cervical mucus, but rather through the use of a reliable pregnancy test.

Becoming pregnant does cause changes in your cervical mucus.  To understand the changes that take place in your cervical mucus with pregnancy, it is important to understand what cervical mucus is and what cervical mucus does.  Cervical Mucus refers to a jelly-ish substance produced by a woman’s body during her monthly cycle.  Cervical mucus resembles the white of an egg.  Cervical mucus is an important part of conceiving.  Cervical mucus helps the sperm to survive once inside a woman’s body, and helps the sperm get to the egg so that the egg can be fertilized.

Cervical fluid or cervical mucus stays more slippery than it otherwise would just after ovulation but before a period.  The cervical mucus loses its longish strands that resemble an egg white.  During this time, cervical mucus tends to be clear, thick, and viscous.  Relatively soon into pregnancy, the cervical mucus will form into the mucus plug.  This will cause the cervical fluid to become more and more dry as pregnancy continues.

Later on in pregnancy, you will probably again notice changes in cervical mucus.  Cervical mucus that escapes from your mucus plug as your cervix begins to thin out and to dilate can become much more pronounced as you near your due date.  This discharge can look like an egg white, just as it does when you are ovulating.  In some instances, the entire plug may come out as one big glob that is somewhat gelatinous in form.  Often, when you lose your mucus plug, it will also be tinged with blood.  If your discharge is watery or bloody prior to your 37th week of pregnancy, it is possible that you are leaking amniotic fluid.  If this is the case, you should contact your health care provider immediately.