Go ahead and watch the bonus lesson on How to Chart Like a Boss (+ print the PDF) at the end of this Module to make sure you understand best practices for charting! Don't skip it!!! :) Also a MUST - the bonus lesson on cervical mucus.

Know your terms.

Charting: The process by which a woman observes and records her biomarkers.

Biomarkers: Your body's signs of health and fertility.

Observation: What you see; taking note of the quality and quantity of menstrual bleeding and cervical mucus.

Sensation: What you feel; taking note of the way your vagina feels throughout each day. Is it wet? Slippery? Lubricative? Dry? Moist?

Cervical mucus: "A hydrogel comprised o mucus molecules, water, a variety of enzymes, protein chains, and other biochemical compounds including sodium, chloride, and potassium." (Source: The Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack)

Fertile / estrogenic mucus: Cervical mucus that is produced in response to estrogen and the developing egg follicle; fertility increases the closer you are to ovulation and Peak Day. Fertile mucus is the perfect pH for sperm. It keeps sperm alive for up to 5 days as you approach ovulation, and it prepares the sperm to be able to fertilize and egg.

EL mucus: In FEMM charting instructions, the color light blue and the symbol EL are used to indicate the change to moist mucus, reflecting rising estrogen. The sensation charted is moistness, wetness, and/or light mucus.

ES mucus: In FEMM charting instructions, the color dark blue and the symbol ES are used to indicate stretchy, and/or clear, and/or slippery/lubricative, fluid mucus, reflecting high estrogen levels. This is most fertile mucus, and increases in fertile, estrogenic characteristics the nearer you are to ovulation.

Peak Day: The final day of fertile, estrogenic mucus (ES mucus). Chart Peak as P and each day following as P+1, P+2, P+3.

Gestagenic mucus: This mucus is part of the body's immune system. It forms a plug that protects the reproductive organs from outside pathogens. Never experienced as a sensation of slippery or lubricative. Non-fertile. Chart this as a dry sensation, using the color gray and the symbol G.

See your FEMM Charting Brochure for more terms and definitions.