Creighton Method- Seminal Fluid vs. Cervical Mucus

[ColorandShape]

My husband and I have been learning the Creighton Method of NFP for about 5 months now. I’m still stuck on distinguishing the difference between seminal fluid and cervical mucus. I just spoke with someone who teaches the method today (not my instructor), and he said you can never really tell the difference between seminal fluid and cervical mucus, and so you always need to chart it as cervical mucus. Is this right? Is there really no way to ever tell the difference?

I have done a lot of Kegels and have waited to do them (although I’ve read conflicting advice on if you should do them right away or wait) and no matter what there seems to be always be some left over the next couple days at least.

If I were to do a different method would I be more sure of the difference so that I would know for sure when my mucus cycle is starting? Any advice? I have read that seminal fluid will evaporate and not stay on toilet paper, but I didn’t read that through the Creighton booklet. All my instructor said was that seminal fluid looks like an 8K and you can’t usually stretch it that much, but I guess I was hoping for more clear cut advice.

 

[pensmama87]

I don’t do Creighton, but I can reasonably tell the difference.

Really, though, it comes down to whether you want to chance it or not. If you decide to go off method and then conceive even though you weren’t looking to, that’s not a method failure.

If I was really keen on avoiding conception, I’d stick 100% to the established rules even though it would most likely mean more abstinence (the STM book I have talks about this and its recommendation is to limit relations - I can’t remember if it’s once per day or once every other day, for this exact reason.)

That’s not a science-y answer but it’s how I’d approach it practically.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

My husband and I have been learning the Creighton Method of NFP for about 5 months now. I’m still stuck on distinguishing the difference between seminal fluid and cervical mucus. I just spoke with someone who teaches the method today (not my instructor), and he said you can never really tell the difference between seminal fluid and cervical mucus, and so you always need to chart it as cervical mucus. Is this right? Is there really no way to ever tell the difference?

I have done a lot of Kegels and have waited to do them (although I’ve read conflicting advice on if you should do them right away or wait) and no matter what there seems to be always be some left over the next couple days at least.

If I were to do a different method would I be more sure of the difference so that I would know for sure when my mucus cycle is starting? Any advice? I have read that seminal fluid will evaporate and not stay on toilet paper, but I didn’t read that through the Creighton booklet. All my instructor said was that seminal fluid looks like an 8K and you can’t usually stretch it that much, but I guess I was hoping for more clear cut advice.

You probably can’t get a strait answer on the forums. They need to stay PG. but practice and knowing your body is what makes nfp work.

Patience.

 

[heidi_storage]

I think you’ll be able to tell the difference. Cervical mucus changes over the course of your cycle in a fairly consistent way. Seminal fluid shows up in the hours following relations, and tends to look the same.

 

[pensmama87]

I think you’ll be able to tell the difference. Cervical mucus changes over the course of your cycle in a fairly consistent way. Seminal fluid shows up in the hours following relations, and tends to look the same.

This can get dicey postpartum and while breastfeeding, though. Generally for me I know that if my CM is all over the place, even if I’m cycling, that probably means I’m not ovulating (that’s part of the reason I temp, too), but I wouldn’t extrapolate my experience to everybody’s.

Otherwise I generally agree with you. It’s usually pretty clear to me.

 

[misspriss]

I think you’ll be able to tell the difference. Cervical mucus changes over the course of your cycle in a fairly consistent way. Seminal fluid shows up in the hours following relations, and tends to look the same.

For some people it’s more than hours! It can be 2 days for me.

I used Billings between pregnancies. With Billings, you are supposed to wait a day after relations so you get a clear read the next day. If you have a general understanding of your cycles and you are trying to avoid, you would probably not have leftover seminal fluid near your peak mucus, I just wouldn’t even get close. Now that doesn’t really fit the BOM rules, there is nothing about “watching the calendar” in them, but that kind of spills over from my Marquette days I guess. Like on a normal 31 day cycle, I’d stop having relations by CD 11 or 12, and then not again until the peak mucus passes.

I have heard that one floats in water and one dissolves, but I forget which.

 

[Allegra]

Yeah, the whole seminal fluid dries up in just a few hours thing isn’t reality for us either. When we’re trying to avoid, I count it as cervical mucus prior to ovulation and afterward I’m a little more free.

 

[LittleWay92]

I have the same problem. I tend to see it the next day after intercourse. Since you are doing Creighton (like me), you can finger test. I find that the seminal fluid is not as stretchy as cervical mucous, especially when stretched two or three times.

When you are truly in doubt, consider yourself fertile.