cm poll

aoverlock

hey ladies-

ok do you check cm internally, externally, or both? if you do both do you ever get conflicting results?

 

this is my first cycle charting and i'm trying to get the hang of "diagnosing" my cm...sometimes i'm not sure what to call it. i feel dumb because of course the pictures in TCOYF are so clear as to if it is creamy, ew, or whatever.  

tia!

texas77

love the sig pic!  well i do an internal check because i'm also looking for CP and if it is open/closed, hard/soft...etc.   i kinda had a hard time telling the diff too but i just kept checking it and then it became more clear. 

once i got real EWCM now it is much easier to tell the diff. 

Leah&Cole

Ditto texas....  I check internally.  It's almost always more clear for me doing it that way, rather than externally.

Good luck.  It's really more of an art than a science.

lil_rhody

Ditto PPs. I check internally so that I can check my cervical position as well. It was really hard the first month, and then I started getting used to what to look for. Good luck!

baby#1hopeful

I only check by what I wipe away when I go to the bathroom.  This is what I feel more comfortable with right now.

JenyM

i don't do the internal checking. just look to see what's on the toilet paper and underwear.

imho, if it's ewcm you'll def know. there is no question. the first time i saw it i was like, "EW! This is what they mean my EWCM. gross." 

Mrs.EmmaLouise

Ditto JenyM.  You'll know when you see EWCM.  But the other cm's can vary from woman to woman.  After a cycle or two you'll get to know how to categorize your own.  My first cycle I wrote in the notes section what I saw for CM, that way the next cycle I could interpret better. GL!

redshoegirl

Checking externally will get me a definite answer about 80% of the time...and when it doesn't, I do the internal check.

I've found that it's a lot easier for me to distinguish CM in external checks if I wipe before I pee when I go to the bathroom. They always say to "check when you wipe" but I think I must pee away most of the external stuff lol, because there was never much there...then I tried wiping first one day, and not to be gross, but there was more there, which made it a LOT easier to decide how to classify it!

aoverlock

thanks everyone!