How to Tell Apart Cervical Mucus From Semen

TMI alert, but there's no such thing as TMI in the trying-to-conceive community, so let's go there. It can be genuinely hard to tell fertile cervical mucus apart from semen, and if you've quietly wondered about it, you're far from alone.

Why they can look so similar

As you approach ovulation, your cervical mucus transforms from a sticky gatekeeper into a stretchy, egg-white-like fluid built to help sperm travel. Semen is built for a very similar job -- providing a safe passage and nourishment for sperm -- which is exactly why the two can be confusingly similar. Here are three ways to tell them apart.

Three tests

1. The stretch test: is it stretchy? If it stretches without breaking, it's probably cervical mucus. Semen tends to break more easily.
2. The water test: drop it in a glass of water. If it dissolves or floats, it's probably semen. If it clumps and sinks, it's probably cervical mucus.
3. The toilet paper test: does it absorb into toilet paper? If it absorbs, it's probably semen. If it sits on top, it's probably cervical mucus.

A few more things cervical mucus does

• It's self-renewing: CM constantly refreshes throughout your cycle, sweeping away old bacteria.
• It's a natural lubricant: fertile CM eases sperm through the cervix on its own -- and some store-bought lubricants can actually work against you, so it's worth knowing which ones are fertility-friendly.
• It helps maintain pH balance: its slightly acidic nature helps keep harmful bacteria at bay.
• It reflects your hormones: texture and consistency shift right along with your hormonal changes, which is exactly why tracking the four types is useful.

Not into checking CM? That's fine too

Monitoring cervical mucus daily isn't for everyone. OPKs are a great alternative -- they read your urine for the LH surge that signals ovulation is near, and are surprisingly accurate once you know what to look for.