Your cervix position can tell you a lot about your fertility because it is constantly changing during your menstrual cycle. Monitoring the changing position of your cervix can help you better figure out the best time to try to get pregnant.
Knowing what to expect from your cervix during ovulation will require a good deal of attention. After a month of monitoring, you’ll be able to better decide what time of the month is ideal for trying to conceive. Think of the position of the cervix as your own little fertility tracker.
How to Check Your Cervix Position
Want to check the position of your cervix, but don’t know how? The good news is that this is a fairly simple and straightforward process that can be done in a short time given enough practice and the right approach.
The Best Time to Check Your Cervix Position
Doctors and midwives agree that the best time to check your position is after a bath or shower because your body will be most clean. Otherwise, bacteria can enter into the vagina and cause an infection or other complications. Following a bath or shower, your body will be free of this bacteria so that you can comfortably check your positioning without having to worry about any further consequences.
If you do not shower prior to checking your position, at the very least wash your hands. You never want to insert dirty fingers into the vagina. Without proper hygiene, you put yourself at risk for a painful urinary tract infection.
2 Steps for Checking the Position of the Cervix
There are several methods you can use when trying to assess the position of the cervix, and the method you choose really doesn’t matter. This is a learning process, and one of the main factors in proper position assessment is consistency. For this reason, we recommend following the same method or technique and positioning so that you have accurate results.
Before you begin, remember to trim your nails to prevent any scratching that may occur. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to begin.
- Sit, stand or squat: You can start in any of these positions to check the cervix position. Use the same position every time you check the cervix. If you choose to stand, it’s recommended that you place one leg on the edge of the bathtub for higher accuracy.
- Insert one to two fingers: Your fingers should be inserted slowly into the vagina. Remember, keep your nails nicely trimmed at this time. Feel for the cervix – it will be located at the top or upper portion of the vagina.
You’ll be feeling around for the cervix, and this may not make any sense to you until you’ve done it every day for a month to note the difference in positioning. The most important change to look for is the position of the cervix before your menstrual cycle, after your menstrual cycle, and during ovulation.
4 Cervix Positions to Know
The good news is that what you feel during your insertion will be standard for every woman. This means you’ll be able to find the common positions and then better understand where you are in your cycle.
The positions to know are:
- After the Menstrual Cycle: The cervix will tilt toward your rectum following your period. You’ll find that the cervix is firm and closed at this time.
- Before Ovulation: As the estrogen levels in the body increase, the cervix begins to straighten, becoming softer and partially open.
- Around Ovulation: The most important position for women trying to get pregnant is the positioning right before ovulation. This can be determined by a cervix that is vertical, open and very soft.
- From Ovulation to Menstruation: Heading back to the first position after ovulation, the cervix will begin to move back toward the rectum, will start to firm, and will be closed. This feels a lot like the position right after menstruation.
The positioning must be noted to better understand your own body’s cycles. Again, this is a little difficult to assess at the start of your monitoring, but you should take note of the position daily for the month and write down all of your findings. The state of the cervix can tell you a lot about your body, but you need to fully understand the position and what you’re feeling before truly using this information to your benefit.
The Knuckle Rule
A lot of women will look toward the knuckle rule to understand their position. This rule requires you to use one finger and to see how many knuckles can be inserted before reaching the cervix.
When you’re logging your position in your journal, you’ll want to keep this information written down, too.
The rule is this:
- Low: Your cervix is low if you are able to insert your finger up to just one knuckle before reaching the cervix.
- Medium: You are able to insert your finger to the second knuckle (the middle of the finger).
- High: A high cervix will allow you to insert an entire finger into the vagina. You’ll be able to insert your finger up until the start of the hand.
If you have a high cervix, this may mean that you’re pregnant, but there will be other signs that give a better understanding and accuracy of pregnancy.
High Cervix Position and Pregnancy
There are three times when the cervix is high:
- At the start of ovulation
- During the height of ovulation
- Pregnancy
So, you can erroneously assume pregnancy due to a high cervix. This is why it’s very important for you to track your positioning and make a chart of the positioning so that you don’t have a false pregnancy indicator. If you think you may be pregnant, check to see whether the cervix is soft and closed. This is an early sign of pregnancy, but at the start of ovulation, the cervix will also be high, soft and closed. However, when you’ve reached the height of ovulation, you’ll find that the cervix is very soft and open. So, if your cervix is very soft, open, and high, you can be confident that you’re not pregnant.
Since the start of ovulation and early pregnancy both have a closed, soft and high cervix, you’ll need to have a chart to determine what part of your cycle you’re in at the moment.
Pregnancy occurs after ovulation, so this means you’ll want to look for a high, soft and closed cervix following a low, firm and closed cervix. This is how the cervix is positioned and feels right after ovulation.
Before you go and celebrate your pregnancy, it’s essential that you take a pregnancy test to determine if pregnancy has really occurred. If you find that the test is negative, allow 3 – 4 days to pass before taking another test to allow for hormone levels to increase enough to the point where the test will be accurate.
I’ve Been Checking My Cervix Position and Can’t Get Pregnant
What many women don’t realize is that getting pregnant often doesn’t happen the first time, or even in the first few months, despite ovulating. Pregnancy is an intricate, delicate process. Everything may be aligned properly and you still won’t get pregnant.
Statistics point to 70% of couples conceiving in six months, and 85% of couples conceiving in twelve months. This means that 3 out of 10 couples will not get pregnant in the first six months of trying, while 1.5 out of 10 couples won’t conceive during the first twelve months of trying.
You may be tracking your cervix position during this time, and if you’re not getting pregnant, you may be concerned. However, there is no reason to worry. Doctors can be consulted after the initial six months of trying to determine if sperm or egg counts are low. There is a chance that one partner may be infertile, which may be causing the delay in pregnancy.
But there is also the chance that you have just not been lucky and conceived yet. Couples that suspect that there is a fertility issue can discuss their options with a fertility specialist. Specialists will be able to determine if there is a fertility issue present and will tell you the best way to proceed with pregnancy.
No matter what, cervix positioning is a helpful method to help women use know their bodies and boost their chances of getting pregnant. The position and feel of the cervix will change throughout a woman’s cycle, which will allow the woman to judge when they’re most fertile. A high, soft and closed cervix is an indicator that pregnancy may have occurred, but this can also occur at other times during your cycle. Proper charting and position monitoring can provide an accurate timeline for ovulation and early pregnancy detection.
