CM dries up before O.

stcakes79

Longtime lurker--I can't find any previous posts on this issue.  We've been ttc since November.  I track CM and use OPKs.  The first two cycles I had ewcm for at least a day or two after getting a positive OPK.  Then it would dry up.  All my cycles since I have noted that my cm changes to sticky or dry suddenly, and I get a positive OPK later on that same day.  We've been using Preseed to make sex comfortable when this happens, but I know that it's not a substitute for fertile cm.  I drink a lot of water but the same pattern happens every month.  I can't think of anything that changed in my diet or otherwise that would cause this.  I haven't tried temping yet, but my period arrives 13-14 days after I get a positive opk. 

Anyone else experience this?  Could there be a possible hormone issue?  I feel like this is detrimental to ttc if I don't have any fertile cm on the days closest to ovulation.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any responses

TheBorg7of9

Maybe it just gets so slippery or watery at that point that it slips into the toilet and you don't notice. And if you're not temping you don't know when you ovulate anyway.

KatzKiss

We use lube because I rarely have fertile CM. I've heard of some people taking cough medicine with guaifenesin in it to thin CM. As far as an explanation for why this is happening to you, OPKs only tell you that your body is gearing up to O. You might not actually be ovulating. I would recommend temping and charting and using OPKs as a secondary measure to really pin point ovulation.

stcakes79

Thank you.  I think I'll get a thermometer this weekend and start temping next cycle.  I thought I could rely on opks since I don't get multiple positives and my period consistently comes about two weeks after. 

TheBorg7of9

stcakes79 said:

Thank you.  I think I'll get a thermometer this weekend and start temping next cycle.  I thought I could rely on opks since I don't get multiple positives and my period consistently comes about two weeks after. 

You are probably ovulating, but you don't know how long your luteal phase is. Could be anywhere from 10 to 16 days. Maybe you ovulate on the day of the first positive opk, maybe not for 2-3 days. Temping will tell you. Mucinex is not recommended because it might thin out the cm too much. I think you are over thinking. There's no reason to think you have a cm problem. Don't self medicate because you could cause a problem when you didn't even have one.

KatzKiss

A lot of people drink green tea too. If you don't want to take medication. However, I think temping is still your best bet. BTW, I wouldn't worry about your EWCM slipping into the toilet!

pmreed79

I drank green tea for the first time this cycle and it definitely increased the number of days I had watery and EWCM.  As soon as I ovulate my CM dries right up too.  Temping will definitely help you pinpoint ovulation.

Lizbeth2462

I temp and my OPK's don't get positive until the day of O and are still positive the day after (they are nearly positive for a few days before but don't turn clear positive until O is pretty much happening/ has just happened). So my CM usually dries up while I'm still getting positive OPK's. Until you start temping you won't know for sure when you are ovulating.

stcakes79

I'll try green tea and see if it's different than drinking plain water.  I'm not a fan of tea but it's worth a try!

KatzKiss

stcakes79 said:

I'll try green tea and see if it's different than drinking plain water.  I'm not a fan of tea but it's worth a try!

Here's a thread about some ways to make green tea taste better.

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/4596646/things-to-spice-up-green-tea

pmreed79

stcakes79 said:

I'll try green tea and see if it's different than drinking plain water.  I'm not a fan of tea but it's worth a try!

I don't really like tea either, but I got the lemon jasmine green tea (celestial seasonings) and put honey in it.  It's not bad.

mommy2C

Also, many women conceive without ever seeing tons of ewcm at all. Just as having ewcm doesn't mean that you are for sure ovulating either. The most cm I had the cycle C was conceived was some watery but definitely no ewcm. This time ttc I have found some ewcm by actually checking the cervical opening so I suspect it stays up inside the cervix.

I wouldn't worry too much but definitely consider temping to confirm ovulation, drink lots of water, green tea and keep using preseed.

KatzKiss

stcakes79 said:

Longtime lurker--I can't find any previous posts on this issue.  We've been ttc since November.  I track CM and use OPKs.  The first two cycles I had ewcm for at least a day or two after getting a positive OPK.  Then it would dry up.  All my cycles since I have noted that my cm changes to sticky or dry suddenly, and I get a positive OPK later on that same day.  We've been using Preseed to make sex comfortable when this happens, but I know that it's not a substitute for fertile cm.  I drink a lot of water but the same pattern happens every month.  I can't think of anything that changed in my diet or otherwise that would cause this.  I haven't tried temping yet, but my period arrives 13-14 days after I get a positive opk. 

Anyone else experience this?  Could there be a possible hormone issue?  I feel like this is detrimental to ttc if I don't have any fertile cm on the days closest to ovulation.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any responses

I noticed that you said you felt like having CM is detrimental to conceiving(sorry I can't highlight on iPad). It is not so please don't worry about that. Just do the best you can with the suggestions you've been given.

janda426

PPs covered everything else but please don't take cough medicine unless you have a cough. If it were necessary to drink cold medicine to conceive someone would've told you by now.

stcakes79

Thanks for the green tea suggestions And I won't be using any medicine--even if it was an option, there's just no cm there anyway (I also check internally). Thanks for the advice!

myatala

Do you like mint? I haven't been doing this for TTC but whenever I make a batch of iced green tea I like to use a bag of mint tea with it to make it minty. Orange is also a nice flavor with green tea imo.

KatzKiss

NeverTooManyShoes said:

Just a note to say if you shouldn't drink the green tea at or too close to the time you take your PNV, it can mess with your folic acid absorption. I take my PNV in the morning and have my tea in the afternoon. I find I like the taste of the decaf better too. 

I just read that this afternoon, but it was on some awful Baby Ga Ga like website so I totally dismissed it.

URMySunshine77

redaero said:

Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't be concerned. Sex in the couple of days leading up to ovulation is supposed to give you best odds anyway, and if your body is O'ing on the quicker side of that "12 to 48 hours after the first positive OPK" range, you're getting EWCM at a pretty strategically good time. FWIW, I have never seen EWCM at all when tracking my CM. But I do get positive OPKs and I've been pregnant twice, so there's that.

I agree with @redaero on the timing. It's better to take advantage of fertile CM when you are seeing it. 

In my first PP cycle, my hormones were still recalibrating and I experienced the same dryness you describe after my +OPK. It was not a matter of me not finding any CM in the bathroom. It was like a desert. My CM was back to normal this month. I would just suggest drinking as much water as possible and avoiding caffeine. Someone on TTC > 35 mentioned taking evening primrose tablets for CM if you want to talk to your doctor about it.

ETA:

It you take evening primrose, you should stop taking it as soon as you get a BFP. That is why I recommend talking to your doctor.

FWIW, you might want to consider acupuncture if dryness is a chronic issue each cycle.

URMySunshine77

Sorry--one more thing. I just remembered that the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility has a section about promoting CM. I would suggest checking out the book from your library. It's super helpful.