Age 22 – 15 Months Postpartum
This is the cervix of a 22 year old woman who has had one vaginal birth 15 months ago and is currently breastfeeding her son. She had a LEEP to treat HPV about 6 years ago, but her pap smears have been normal since then. She is taking the herbĀ Vitex to help balance her hormones.
Tracking fertility signals postpartum can be tricky as cycles are often irregular in length or take time to become regular and ovulatory again. This woman occasionally tracked her cervical mucus, viewed her cervix, took her basal body temperature and felt her cervix in her months postpartum. She paid attention to when her cervical fluid changed in quality and anticipated potential ovulation.
Her baseline pattern in the postpartum was a tacky, white sticky fluid. When she noticed it shifting, she knew her hormones were changing and potential fertility/ovulation approaching. She photographed this change around days 460-465. Her changing cervical fluid pattern was confirmed by a positive OPK test, indicating ovulation is likely to happen soon. She experienced this ovulation likely on Day 464 as her cervix was soft and open, with watery slightly stretchy cervical mucus. She also experienced ovulation pain (cramping and backaches) for several days prior. She observed a LOT of cervical fluid and felt extremely emotional, tired and irritable leading up to ovulation. Though she did not know it at the time, she did conceive during this first ovulation postpartum.
Age 22 – 402 Days Postpartum
402 days postpartum; she has not ovulated or had a period since the birth of her baby
Age 22 – 460 Days Postpartum
About 2 months after the previous photo; her cervical fluid is creamy, visible pooled at the bottom of the photo next to the speculum; change from sticky to creamy can indicate a change in hormones, increasing fertility and the possibility of approaching ovulation
Age 22 – 463 Days Postpartum
Day after her first ovulation postpartum, 465 days since she gave birth; she conceived near this day