What does a closed cervix feel like

If you’re in the TWW (the Two Week Wait), you might be searching for any early hints which could give you an answer without waiting to miss your period.

Table of Contents Show

What is your cervix and why is it important?
How does your cervix feel in early pregnancy?
What about the position of the cervix in early pregnancy?
What causes the cervix to open in early pregnancy?
Your cervix before your period vs. before you’re pregnant
How to Check Your Cervical Position
How Hormones Change Throughout Your Cycle

Well, we’re here with good news: your cervix might be able to tell you that you’re pregnant before a home test.

This may be the first time that you’ve ever given this little muscle any thought, but read on to find out about the changes to your cervix in early pregnancy.

In this article 📝

What is your cervix and why is it important?
How does your cervix feel in early pregnancy?
Your cervix before your period vs. before you’re pregnant

What is your cervix and why is it important?

Your cervix is a ring of muscle between the top of your vagina and your uterus. It has a small opening to let sperm in, but it keeps things like water out of your uterus to protect you from infections. It also has the pretty crucial job of holding your baby inside the uterus until they’re ready to come into the world.

You probably already know that the cervix changes during labor. It dilates (opens) and effaces (thins and shortens) so that your baby can make their grand entrance.

But what you may not know is that it also changes a lot during a normal monthly cycle.

If you get to know those changes by feeling your cervix in the months before you conceive, you might be able to tell when something is a little different, and that might be the first sign that you’re going to have a baby. Clever, right?

Now, of course, checking your cervix is definitely not a conclusive pregnancy test and the only way to know for certain is to wait until your period is late and then test. But there’s never any harm in knowing your body better and understanding what’s normal for you.

How does your cervix feel in early pregnancy?

What does the cervix feel like in early pregnancy? In a regular, non-pregnant cycle, your cervix should usually feel slightly hard and open at the beginning of the month (during your period). When we say “hard” in this context, we mean that it feels something like the tip of your nose.

As you get closer to ovulation, it should feel increasingly soft, and pretty similar to your vaginal wall. This softening happens because of extra estrogen and increased blood flow to your uterus around the time you ovulate.

Your cervix then gradually hardens again in the week after the egg is released.

If you do get pregnant, your hormone levels will rise and your body will start sending lots more blood to your uterus to allow it to start making things comfy for your baby. It also has to form the placenta and make the mucus plug which will block your cervix until you go into labor.

So that means that if you’re pregnant, your cervix probably won’t harden again after you ovulate. Instead, there’ll be a couple of extra weeks when it feels as soft as it usually does in the middle of your cycle.

The catch is that you have to be quick to notice this early sign of pregnancy. Once the mucus plug is ready, the cervix will probably stay hard and closed for most of your pregnancy.

What about the position of the cervix in early pregnancy?

Another good indication that you might be pregnant is if your cervix feels “high” in your vagina.

Usually, at the beginning of your cycle, your cervix is low down and open. It pulls up towards your uterus and closes as your body gets ready to ovulate (which can make it a little harder to find, by the way). It then lowers again after ovulation 一 unless a fertilized egg implants in your uterine wall.

What causes the cervix to open in early pregnancy?

If your cervix feels open instead of closed in early pregnancy, you may be among the 1% of women who goes through early cervical dilation (which many practitioners still unfortunately call an “incompetent cervix”). This happens more often to women who have hypermobility or who’ve had previous surgery or an injury to this area.

Early cervical dilation is a problem for your baby who still needs time to grow before they make their debut, but it’s important to remember that it’s not your fault and it’s completely treatable. If your cervix is open in early pregnancy, doctors will usually make a small stitch called a cerclage to hold your cervix closed until your baby reaches full term.

Your cervix before your period vs. before you’re pregnant

So, to recap:

Check your cervix roughly between days 21 and 28 of your cycle (one week before your period is due and the time when you’re actually late).

If you find that your cervix feels low, hard and (possibly) open, it might be that fertilization hasn’t happened this time around, and your period is on its way.

If you feel your cervix and it feels soft, higher up (and probably) closed, there might just be a BFP in your near future.

Good luck!

Did you know that the cervical position and texture changes during your menstrual cycle? You can learn how to monitor these changes to your cervix so that you can predict your most fertile windows and increase your chances of conception.

Cervical position tracking can be used throughout the month to help you to predict your most fertile windows. If done right, it can let you know when ovulation is about to occur, or even indicate whether you’re pregnant. It can be used by itself, or in conjunction with monitoring cervical mucus and/or basal body temperature.

Keep in mind that you should consult a fertility doctor if you are:

Tracking cervical position and ovulation for a year
Not having a successful pregnancy
Over age 35

How to Check Your Cervical Position

Checking the cervical position takes some practice. A good time to try is after a bath or shower.

First, wash your hands well and trim your nails.

Next, get into position. Sitting on the toilet or squatting or standing with one leg on the edge of the bathtub are good positions. Use the same position each time you check your cervix.

Gently insert one or two fingers into the vagina. Feel for the cervix – located in the upper front or top.

With practice, you will start to notice the changes your cervix goes through during monthly cycles. Because every woman’s cycle is different, including the lengths of each different phase, it may take several cycles before you get to know your body. Some people are squeamish about checking during bleeding and wait until menstrual flow stops.

How Hormones Change Throughout Your Cycle

The position and texture of your cervix will change during your cycle.

Here’s what to keep track of during each phase:

During menstrual bleeding, the cervix is normally low and hard, and slightly open to allow the blood to flow out. It feels like the tip of your nose. After your period stops,  the cervix remains low and hard and the opening to the uterus (uterine is) remains closed.

As you approach ovulation, the cervix rises up to the top of the vagina and becomes softer and moister. At the height of ovulation, your cervical position makes the most fertile. The cervix feels more like your lips than your nose, and the uterine is open to allow sperm to enter.

Sometimes the cervix seems to disappear, which just means it has become so soft that it blends in with the vaginal walls and rises so high that the finger cannot touch it. This is known as SHOW: soft, high, open, and wet. This is the optimal time to have sex to achieve pregnancy.

Once ovulation occurs, the cervix drops lower and becomes more firm, once again feeling like the tip of your nose. The opening to the uterus will become tightly closed. This can happen immediately after ovulation, or may take several hours to several days.

When pregnancy occurs, the cervix will rise up and become soft, yet the uterine is will remain tightly closed. This occurs at different times for different people– as early as 12 days after ovulation or well after the pregnancy has been confirmed by a home pregnancy test or doctor.

Dr. Alan Copperman is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist with a long history of success in treating infertility and applying fertility preservation technologies. He serves as Medical Director of Progyny, a leading fertility benefits management company, and co-founded and serves as Medical Director of RMA of New York, one of the largest and most prestigious IVF centers in the country. Dr. Copperman is also the Vice Chairman and Director of Infertility for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chief Medical Officer of Sema4, a health information company. Dr. Copperman has been named to New York magazine’s list of Best Doctors 17 years in a row. He has been recognized by his peers and patient advocacy organizations for his commitment to patient-focused and data-driven care. He has published more than 100 original manuscripts and book chapters on reproductive medicine and has co-authored over 300 scientific abstracts on infertility, in vitro fertilization, egg freezing, ovum donation, and reproductive genetics.