How can I participate?
When am I fertile?
Can I get pregnant while I am having my period?
What does a pregnant cervix look and feel like?
Can I use these photos in my project/book/report/etc?
How can I see my own cervix?
Where do I get a speculum?
How do I clean my speculum?
How can I participate?
I am constantly looking for volunteers who are willing to replicate this project on their own. All you need is a speculum, flashlight, and a camera and a little bit of willingness, commitment, and patience! It is an empowering and life-changing experience to get to intimate with your body’s cycles.
Please visit the Participate Page for more information.
When am I fertile?
Please read the Your Cycle page for more detailed information and an overview of fertility patterns as they relate to your cycle.
In general, a woman is fertile when she has any or all of the symptoms of fertility: fertile quality cervical fluid, a wet sensation in her vulva, and/or when her cervical os is open and high in her vagina. If any of these symptoms are occurring, the woman is considered fertile until three days of having none of those symptoms.
I highly recommend that all women read a book about their cycles- even if they are not using it as a method of birth control. I recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Wechsler or Honoring Our Cycles by Katie Singer. Check out other great books, websites, and products on the Resources Page.
Can I get pregnant while I am having my period?
Yes, it is a possibility, but the detailed answer to this question is different for all women. Remember that the amount of days from the beginning of a woman’s period to ovulation is variable (this is called the follicular phase and the number of days can be widely different between women and also can vary from cycle to cycle for the same woman). Getting pregnant while on your period is a possibility because sperm can live in the vagina/cervix in fertile cervical fluid for up to 5 days. In a short menstrual cycle or a cycle with a long bleeding phase, the blood from your period can mask the simultaneous release of fertile cervical fluid, so you might not even notice typical fertility signals. If sperm are present, they may remain alive in the fertile mucous until the egg is released during ovulation.
However, once a woman has begun tracking her cycle regularly, she may find that her fertility signals (fertile quality cervical mucous, wet vulva, high soft open os) never correspond with her period and that she always has a few non-fertile days between the end of her period and her fertile phase. In this case, the woman may consider herself not fertile during her period. I do not advise that you make the assumption that you are infertile during your period unless you have been accurately charting your cycles and determining your own body’s rhythms for at least 4 months.
Please refer to the Your Cycle page for more information.
What does a pregnant cervix look and feel like?
During pregnancy, the cervix will rise a bit and become softer feeling and puffier looking, but the timing of this happening will vary from woman to woman and thus makes it difficult to diagnose pregnancy just from examining the cervix. For some women, they will notice this shift shortly before their period is due (since normally, their cervix feels low and harder at this point in the cycle), but for others, this shift in cervical position will not happen until quite a while after their pregnancy has been confirmed.
During pregnancy, about half of women will experience that their cervices take on a blue/purple tint as blood flow to the area increases. The os may appear more open.
Women may notice an increased cervical discharge when they are pregnant. Leukorrhea is a whitish colored vaginal discharge that women often see during pregnancy. The higher levels of estrogen produced during pregnancy cause the cervical glands to secrete more cervical fluid. It may become more noticeable as a woman gets further along in her pregnancy and is most common in the third trimester. However, some women may notice leukorrhea in early pregnancy.
Can I use these photos in my project/book/report/etc?
Most likely, yes. However, I ask that you please contact me to ask permission so I can keep track of where and how these images are being used. I ask that people make a donation to the project to honor the value of this work and to support the evolution of this project. I usually respond within a few weeks.
How can I see my own cervix?
I encourage you to ask your gynecologist, midwife, or health practitioner to let you see your cervix during your next gynecological exam. You may want to bring your own hand mirror, though many clinics have them available.
If you are at home, assume a semi-reclined position, with your sacrum on a flat surface and your knees open, heels together. It is helpful to first insert your finger into your vagina and feel the location of your cervix (will feel like a little nub protruding into your vagina and may be as hard as the tip of your nose or as soft as puckered lips and will likely be 3-6 inches inside your vagina). Insert the speculum (handles up) into the vagina, aiming for the general location you just discovered with your finger; using a lubricant may help it slide in easily. Press the handles together to open the mouth of the speculum until you hear a ‘click,’ which indicates it is locked and will remain open. Hold the hand mirror between your legs while the speculum is inserted and angle it so you can see the inside of your vagina. Shine a flashlight at the mirror so it reflects off of it and illuminates your vagina. Hopefully the cervix (looking like a little wet pink doughnut) at the back wall of the vagina will be visible. Cervices are not always mid-line, so if you cannot see it right away, you may need to angle the speculum differently, pull it out a little, or reinsert it at a different angle.
 1. Woman inserting a speculum |
 2. Woman opening the speculum |
 3. Woman’s view of cervix with mirror |
| Images from A New View of a Woman’s Body |
If you are a visual learner, please watch this movie on how to photograph your cervix.
Where do I get a speculum?
If your practitioner uses disposable plastic speculums, you can ask her/him to take it home after the exam and keep it to use by yourself later.
If you’d like to see your cervix in the privacy of your own home, you can purchase a speculum kit here from the Feminist Women’s Health Clinic website.
I am currently traveling to teach empowering Womb Wisdom workshops, which include learning self-exam.
How do I clean my speculum?
The vagina is not a sterile environment; it naturally contains a balance of many strains of micro-organisms (also called vaginal flora). However, it is best to minimize introducing unwanted bacteria into it via an unclean speculum. So, please wash your speculum well with (antibacterial) soap and hot water before and after each use. You might want to sterilize it in boiling water (though this is not guaranteed to kill all bacteria). Don’t share your speculum with others.
Does Or can cervix protrude during late pregnancy? I am 35 weeks n when open up my vulva can see something protruding from the top of my vagina. This is my 3rd pregnancy. I had SPD with last so know my muscles are week n had a previous large baby. I went to the doctors yesterday as my vulva was swollen n sore n I was a little bit freaked out after my partner took a pic down there to see something visibly producing from my hole. My dr just examined me and said everything’s fine n nothing looks abnormal down there. Wish I’d have asked her what that is visibly on top of hole though?? It doesnt really resemble your pics?
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beautifulcervix Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:21 am
Could it be your urethral sponge?
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Does baby come out through your cervix? I’m just confused now as have my hole n something protruding from top of my hole which I think could be my cervix? But if this is the case when I’m dilated how will cervix look? I assumed your womb cervix at the top of your vagina unvisible opened up n baby travelled out of your hole but now can see something protruding wondering whether that is actually where baby is gonna come out from n not hole that is below it? Obviously it’s all coming out my vagina just want to know which part?
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beautifulcervix Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:24 am
Yes, the hole in the cervix is the opening to the uterus/womb, which is where the baby is when you are pregnant. The os (hole in the cervix) dilates/opens to 10 cm during labor and the baby passes through the cervix and into the vaginal canal and then is birthed through the vaginal opening.
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Hi! My cervix should be low and hard when I am about to have my period??? I have heard so many different answers to this question and am really confused. I can reach my cervix and it feels kind of hard and i can feel the lines or grooves. Please help
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beautifulcervix Reply:
March 1st, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Yes, generally, the cervix is low in the vagina and hard/closed feeling right before menstruation.
Remember the depth and hardness of your cervix are relative measurements– in relation to your own body at different times throughout the month. I recommend feeling your cervix everyday to notice the changes over time.
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I understand my cervix very well and love it. I have to go to hospital shortly to have a vaginal repair a rectocele which is huge and has been for 30years however finally after many requests it is due to be repaired. However as I have an unusually long cervix (nothing wrong with it at all just that it appears to be a bit of a curiosity with medicos) the gyno has decided to give me a hysterectomy because it may prolapse later..my issue is that as there is nothing wrong with either my uterus or my cervix I see no reason to be put through extra pain and lose something that is fine. I feel it is just that they want it as something to study and teach students about as it is in a teaching hospital. I”m feeling very alone in all of this. Are there any reasons that you can think of why it would be necessary at old. I’m 55 fit as a fiddle and in good health.
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beautifulcervix Reply:
March 21st, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Of course you want to keep your uterus! I encourage you to advocate for your body integrity (especially if there is no medical reason for it)….Check out the HERS Foundation…on the side effects of hysterectomy:
http://www.hersfoundation.com/effects.html
The whole website is great – full of info and community supportive of women and their uteri!
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Is there in any way to move my period along quicker? The bleeding I mean. I’m not sexually active, so it’s not to that. I just have heavy periods and I tend to ruin more clothes the longer it lasts. Ive been drinking plenty of water, using a low temp heating pad on my abdomen, and eating pretty health and exercising. I feel SO INCREDIBLY stupid for asking this but can I suck the blood out? Would it damage my cervix or cause any other complications?
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beautifulcervix Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Some women do menstrual extraction ( suctioning out the contents of the uterus) if they have been doing cervical self exam and uterine size checks in groups for many months -check out the book “a new view of a woman’s body”(http://www.beautifulcervix.com/resources/) or google it for more info….but, I would recommend you contact a naturopath or Dr of Oriental Medicine or Ayurveda (a holistic dr) to help you regulate your heavy flow (it can be a sign of a few easy-to-remedy imbalances)
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hi. i have two questions.
1) i looked at the cervical pictures for the 25yr old’s entire cycle, and wheb the caption said it was closed, it still looked slightly open. if your cervix is closed, will you still feel that “dimple” where the opening is?
2) i had a c-section for my first baby, i only dialted to 2cm before my surgery (it was planned). i’ve heard that after your first baby, your cervix will always be slightly open since it was stretched. does this only apply if you had a vaginal birth? thx so much!
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I have a question, i am about 3 days late and we are ttc. I went to feel my cervix and it feels very swollen, different than before. I have been having cramps for about 3 weeks and my breasts are excruciating feeling. I don’t know if I am or not. I am almost nervous to try a test. what would you suggest?
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beautifulcervix Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
It doesn’t hurt to test….the cervix isn’t always the best indicator of pregnancy:
http://www.beautifulcervix.com/faq/
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I know that the cervix serves a function for pregnancy & delivery. For a woman who never has children, does the cervix serve any function in the body?
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beautifulcervix Reply:
April 19th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
The cervix is the entrance to the uterus and cervical fluid protects bacteria from entering the womb. Also, menstrual fluid is shed via the cervical os (hole) every month. Contractions of the uterus/cervix are felt in orgasm.
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Hi I was wondering if I am pregnant, I know you can’t determine pregnancy with only your cervix but I don’t see why I still can’t ask this question. Usually my cervix is hard but yesterday when I felt it it was very soft and today I notice I was bleeding but I am not sure if this is my period or not because my period wasnt due until the 7th of may. What should I do??
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