CM Help!!! What is this????? (probably TMI)

Hi All,

This month I am a bit confused!!!

I usually have a 30+ day cycle - 32 - 35 on average and usually O around day 20 to 22.
CM usually goes slippery wet before going clear and stretchy just before O.

After O, CM usually goes to nothing, sometimes I get tacky white stuff until it goes dry again before AF.

This cycle I think I am O'ing a little earlier than normal (a good thing because DH is away o/s ATM and a little earlier may help!!!!)

I had 2 days of really stretchy CM, it wasn't clear - but a creamy colour (not semen because we hadn't DTD so no confusion). THIS IS UNUSUAL FOR ME plus it was a few days early.

DTD on the second day of the creamy stretchy CM. Next day CM went clear and stretchy - which is what I usually see around time of O.

AND THEN

CM went white, dry and snotty - I had a bit of irritation and itch - so I think it was a little bit of thrush. Clear EWCM disappeared!

A couple of days later, thrush is not so bad, still have a little bit of discharge (sorry TMI) with white snot balls AND today, I also have creamy, slippery, wet, and still some stretchy creamy coloured CM as well!!! (again haven't DTD since the thrush came, so it is nothing else except CM for obvious reasons).

SO WHAT IS IT?

I am still O'ing?????????
Why still the stretchy creamy coloured CM??? Is it related to the thrush? I have no other signs of infection other than possible thrush. CM is not offensive smelling (sorry - TMI again!)

I have never seen creamy, wet CM together with creamy stretchy CM after getting clear EWCM and having it disappear.

I thought I was about 3DPO (going by the timing of the clear EWCM) - but with this creamy stuff I am not so sure.

CAN ANYONE HELP????? ANY IDEAS????

Time will tell I guess, but I am a bit confused.
Sorry, this is so long.

Are you temping?

No, sorry don't temp. It drives me nuts!!! But I do feel warmer than usual!

I also bloat around time of O and that happened the day I got the clear EWCM - so another reason to think I have already O'd.

It's a bit hard to tell without temping to confirm you've O'd. I would BD again JIC if you think there's a chance it could be fertile CM. Apparently we can have a few patches of fertile CM before Oing.

I think it could be sticky CM - that can be quite stretchy too. Is it shiny, like rubber cement?

Hi Sally,

Can't BD JIC as DH OS (and the thrush thing!!!)

With temping in the past, any temp rise was so slow with me and it wasn't that accurate, so even with that I probably would not be able to tell 3DPO.

CM has never failed me yet, but then again this thrush thing hasn't happened before when TTC. I had all the usual O signs for me with the clear EWCM, sore bb, stabbing pains and bloating - these have all subsided.

Yes, the stretchy CM has all been shiny.

I can't imagine what rubber cement looks like!! The white "snot balls" could be rubber cement - they are not shiny but this is what I am calling thrush.

BTW what is the signficance of rubber cement?

It is just weird! It is never like this! But the few patches of CM before O could be right (except it just doesn't make sense with all the other signs I usually have!!).

GIDGET

Sticky CM can be like rubber cement, according to the FF FAQ, and it tends to be opaque.

Thanks Sally.

Had a look at the FF website.

Seems it is more likely to be a delayed O, or some sort of freaky O!!! (Interested to read that you can get fertile CM but not actually O!)

Normally I would only be coming up to O now - so the early stuff is freaky.

Today, still got wet, creamy CM and a little bit of wet stretchy stuff this morning only.

The creamy stuff is now all over my panties (sorry TMI). NO BD for days and days now, so it is not anything else. DH still OS.

Sally - I had a think about the "rubber cement".

I remembered that FF is an American website and Americans use the term "cement" as Australians would use "glue". I then get a much better picture than thinking of the stuff footpaths and driveways are made of (D'oh for me!)

Early stuff, definetly like "rubber glue", sticky and stretchy. The stuff I got after I thought I had O'd is not sticky but more wet - if that makes any sense.

Think I might see my GP, in case the thrush thing is upsetting things and causing all this creamy wetness.

Gidget, have you thought that maybe you could be pg? When you are pg, you have all sorts of weird CM and I'm wondering if you did catch the egg first time round and now your body is in early pgcy mode?

Yes Katkins, the thought has crossed my mind.

If you asked me about 3 days ago I would of kinda thought yeah maybe- but I feel less pregnant than I did a couple of days ago when this freaky stuff started happening. I always thought I'd be able to tell straight away. It is my third after all! I can't remember getting much CM with my other two straight after O. Then again, didn't really notice much until AF was late.

With #2, I started throwing up at 4 weeks but had really really bad PMS before that! I am just waiting for the urge to eat a whole packet of biscuits - I think it was chocolate chip last time round before the BFP!!!

If it is, it is really early days!! (4DPO if O happened early) Still have a wait!!!!

Just keep telling myself that I am more likely to be NOT than AM. It would be really funny to get a BFP the month that DH is OS at exactly the precise time when I usually O.

It might just be creamy CM.

Was AF any different to normal? Have you tried doing an HPT JIC?

Hi Sally,

AF was perfectly normal last time, heavish and longish - no way was it an implantation bleed. DH was simply not in the mood last month.

Might just be creamy CM, but never have this much wetness with CM after O, if it was O!!

Think I will make an appointment with GP to have it checked - given the slight bout of thrush! And if something is screwy with O, I want that checked out too!

UPDATE.

It is thrush!! Dam, dam, dam!!

Still have to wait a week to see if the early O signs were O, or two weeks to see if O happened at a normal time. Now my TWW has turned into a 3WW.

Stayed tuned to see what will go wrong next month!

UPDATE: Mystery solved. I have my answer and it is...

THREE CHEERS FOR DR BILLINGS!!!!!

I did O early as I thought. I knew it. CM has never proven me wrong. AF has arrived FIVE DAYS early!!!!! (No, eggy wasn't caught, we only DTD once and then I got thrush, damn thrush!!!)

[It really sh*tted me that when Dr Billings died the media focused on the high failure rate of the Billings method as a method of contraception. We should be celebrating the knowledge and control Dr Billings has given women over their own bodies in being able to recognise the signs of fertility.]

I love being able to tell when I am about to O. Here's hoping for better timing and no thrush at the crucial time next month.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

[I hope I can O early next month too!!!!! Gives us more of a chance, fingers crossed, as then it can happen more often instead of being stuck with longish cycles.]

I am a little surprised that no-one else wants to give Drs Billings three cheers - sorry, I should have given cheers to both Dr John and Dr Evelyn Billings.

C'mon ladies - without knowing about the CM stuff and being able to discuss it, how less interesting would this TTC journey be.

I love knowing about this stuff!

Anyone else?

Sorry Gidget, just saw your post.

Yes, I too love knowing about this stuff. I knew I was ovulating even though all the tests and the drs said I wasn't. I had a Dr who wanted to prescribe me stuff to bring on AF - trick was I was pregnant and thank goodness I refused because it could have been devastating for my DS!!!!!!!

Yes - THREE CHEERS for Drs Billings - a big thank you for discoverying EWCM. Without it, I would not have my DS now! and I would have believed the tests and the Drs who said I was not O'ing, possibly with devastating results!

Hip hip hooray!

I like to know too. Aprt from helping ttc, it's empowering to know what your body is doing.

Thanks Ladies, I was beginning to think I was the only freak who loves this stuff.

Yes - Sally I agree entirely. It is so empowering to know what our bodies are doing. I love the fact there are signs we can read!!! Kinda like knowing a secret code!

I have experienced this and it could be the hormones changing the acid balance and making you feel a bit irritated, not thrush.
When you are in the infertile period the cervical secretions are hostile to sperm and perhaps the hormonal change that prompts the cervix to make the sperm friendly mucous affects your ph balance. I have also had this irritation just before my period for a couple of days.

I also get thrush (not for a long time...touchwood) and it feels different to this irritated thing even if it lasts a couple of days. Get yourself off to a Dr quckly if you suspect it is thrush though to rule it out.

Also you can have "practice mucous" which IMO is so darn confusing and only in hindsight do I know when that has happened.

Sammi - it was definitely thrush - the white, dry snots balls after the ewcm - were thrush. They were dry to touch and nothing like cm at all at any time of the cycle. I was checked out by the GP (TMI - but was swollen down there too! really uncomfortable). Really stuffed up the TTC last month because it happened as the ewcm was peaking, so we didn't DTD! I did O early though as I thought because AF arrived 14 days later.

This month, I have more the irritation you are talking about, just feel a little irritated but it is nothing like it was last month and it is nothing like thrush. I also get it before AF. Agree, it is probably the acid-alkaline balance changing.

At least this month, we get to DTD - :crossfingers: we can get it right this month!