Confused by Mucus and Temperature Conflicting
Question
Hopefully you will be able to help me clarify my chart right now. I am nine months postpartum, and started cycling 37 days ago. I had a full period which lasted six days, followed by a normal dry period. Then I began with some sticky mucus, leading up to egg white mucus and brownish pink mucus on day 17. I thought that was peak day, then I had another mucus episode and another day of spotting mucus on day 21. My temperature stayed low until day 29, and since then I have had sustained high temperatures. (PRB line average temp 97.6 and high temperatures ranging between 97.9 and 98.7) Yet, I have had on and off eggwhite mucus every other day or even every day during my high temperature phase. On day 37, I again had pinkish brownish mucus, which looks like fertile mucus. I’m assuming I’ve already ovulated, according to my temperatures and I wondered if the spotting would have been implantation in case I was pregnant, but all pregnancy tests are negative and I don’t feel pregnant at all.
Is this a normal progression when returning to normal cycling postpartum? My normal cycle range is 25-27 days, and I’m currently on day 38 and still having fertile signs with a high temp.
We are open to life and would actually like to get pregnant again sometime soon. I know I shouldn’t worry or stress about this, but some clarification would be great. Our NFP instructors are very difficult to get ahold of.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Peace and blessings,
Joelle
Answer
Last Updated: May 8, 2022
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. Motherhood is awesome. I am assuming you are breastfeeding your little one. This is one of the reasons your fertility has been postponed until recently.
Now you are in the transitional phase, transitioning from infertility to fertility. All women experience this no matter what type of mothering they do. The transitional phase usually lasts three cycles. With nursing moms, one will have longer cycles that will shortern to pre-pregnancy cycle lengths. The luteal phase, first day of temperature rise to menses, is usually short and will gradually go back to 12-16 days ( whichever you were pre-pregnancy). The cycle length tends to be in the pre-ovulatory time as your body is getting missed signals about ovulation–baby’s nursing amount. Fertility tends to return around this time because baby is being nourished elswhere not just on mom’s breast. Missed signals also are seen in your mucus pattern. One will have on and off mucus and sometimes breakthrough bleeding or spotting. If your temperature has shifted you can use a temperature only rule or check your cervix for an additional sign. Mucus may sometimes appear again post-temperature rise, but if phase three has been determined from Temperature only rule and/or cervix then phase three continues.
The transition phase is a time of patience, and your body will again show regular signs of fertitliy. There are also mucus patch rules that can be applied during this phase, but I feel this takes one-on-one counseling.
Hope this has been helpful.
Mary-Lynn Ott
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