The same hormones that control your menstrual cycle also cause your cervix to produce mucus, which collects on your cervix and in your vagina. The mucus will change in quality and quantity before and during ovulation.  When you have your period, your flow will usually cover any signs of mucus. As the egg starts to ripen, more mucus will be produced. It will appear yellow, white and/or cloudy and feel sticky or tacky. You will usually have more mucus just before you start to ovulate and it will appear clear and feel slippery, like raw egg white. At the peak of your fertility, during your fertility window, the mucus will be very stretchable and slippery. After four slippery days, your body will suddenly produce less mucus and it will appear cloudy and tacky again for several days. You may also notice “dry days” where you do not produce any mucus before your period starts again. These days are considered the days where you are infertile. You will need to record the color and texture of your mucus every day for one to three cycles on a chart or calendar. Check your mucus by wiping the opening of your vagina with a tissue before you urinate. You can also look at the mucus discharge on your underpants, or put clean fingers into your vagina to check the mucus.  Note the color and texture of the mucus. You should describe the mucus as yellow, white, cloudy, creamy, or clear. You should also note if the mucus has a dry, tacky, wet, or slippery texture and a thick, sticky, or stretchy consistency.  To do the mucus method, it is important that you are comfortable with touching your cervical mucus. You will need to analyze and record your mucus every day in order for this method to work effectively as a fertility charting tool. This method may not be ideal for women who do not produce a lot of mucus. Your mucus pattern can be altered if you are breastfeeding, if you have had cervical surgery, if you have a sexually transmitted infection, if you use douches or other feminine hygiene products, or if you have recently used hormonal contraceptives, such as emergency contraception or Plan B. Once you have charted your mucus over one to three cycles, you should start to notice a pattern. Your mucus will usually be the most dry at the start of your cycle, when your fertility is very low. When the mucus starts to appear and feels moist or damp, you have moved into the ovulation stage. You will then experience a clear, slippery mucus when you are highly fertile, or in your fertility window. Finally, you will experience yellow and brown mucus and several dry days with no mucus as your fertility window ends.  Identify the two to three days before you experience the first signs of slippery mucus. These are your most fertile days and are the best days to conceive. Once the slippery mucus drops off and appears cloudy and tacky again, you are no longer in your fertility window. You can have sexual intercourse and have a lower chance of getting pregnant. The dry days that follow the end of the slippery mucus period are also considered safe days for sexual intercourse if you do not want to get pregnant. This method works best for a woman who has been using the mucus method consistently from one to three cycles and is good at reading her mucus pattern. To do this method, you will need to ask yourself two question: Do I have cervical mucus today? Did I have cervical mucus yesterday?  If you can answer “no” to both questions confidently, it may be safe for you to have unprotected intercourse on that day. Keep in mind women who use this method may have only 12 safe days during every cycle. The two-day mucus method is not foolproof and should not be your only method of fertility charting. According to Planned Parenthood, of 100 couples who use the two-day method correctly for one year, four will have a pregnancy. As well, of 100 couples who use the cervical mucus method correctly for one year, three will have a pregnancy.
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One-sentence summary -- Understand how your cervical mucus can help to determine your fertility. Chart your mucus on a calendar for one to three cycles. Determine your fertility window. Be aware of the two-day mucus method.


Your piercer may sell bottles of saline solution or you can purchase them from most pharmacies, grocery stores, or online. You may see saline solution called "wound wash saline." Don't buy a solution that's designed for contact lenses since it may be too harsh for your piercing. before cleaning the piercing. Your piercing can become infected if bacteria gets into it, so it's important to thoroughly wash your hands with soapy water before you touch or clean the piercing. Dry your hands well on a clean cloth or paper towel. Keep your new piercing out of water that could be dirty, such as lakes, pools, or hot tubs. This can minimize your risk of infection. Dip clean gauze or paper towels into homemade or store-bought saline solution and gently press it on the piercing for 5 minutes. This should loosen any crusty bits of skin near the piercing and they'll come away when you pat the piercing dry. Don't pick off the crusty bits when the skin is dry or you could irritate the skin.  If your body piercing can be submerged, lower it into homemade saline solution and soak for about 5 minutes. To submerge your piercing, fill your tub with a few inches of water and stir in salt until it's diluted. You could also use a sitz bath to soak genital piercings. Once the saline has soaked into the piercing, take a new paper towel and gently press it over the piercing. Keep patting the skin until the piercing is dry and then throw away the paper towel. Don't use a cloth towel even if it's clean. Cloth towels can catch on the jewelry and they may have bacteria on them that could get into the piercing site. Although you may think that cleaning your piercing even more can help it heal faster, cleaning too often can dry out your skin. Plan on cleaning the piercing just twice a day until the piercing is completely healed. Healing time will depend on what type of body piercing you got. For example, pierced ears take up to 4 months to heal while a naval, genital, or nipple piercing takes up to 6 months. Most oral or facial piercings will heal within 8 weeks. You should clean the piercing as gently as possible so don't use products that will dry out or irritate your skin. Avoid cleaning with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, and harsh soaps. Some of these products contain alcohol which will dry out your skin. This can make dead skin cells build up to form crusty material near the piercing site.
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One-sentence summary --
Purchase saline solution from your piercer or a pharmacy. Wash your hands Hold saline-soaked gauze against the piercing for 5 minutes. Pat the piercing dry with a clean paper towel. Clean your piercing 2 times a day until the piercing has healed. Avoid using rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean the piercing.