A fluid made by tiny glands in and around the cervix. It is released by the cervix into the vagina, where it helps keep the vagina lubricated and helps prevent infection. It can also nourish and protect sperm when a woman is most fertile, howerver, it is not particularly friendly to sperm during other times of a woman’s cycle. Since the production of cervical mucus is stimulated by the hormone estrogen, and estrogen levels change through a woman’s menstrual cycle, the amount, texture, and appearance of cervical mucus is always changing. For instance, when a woman is about to ovulate and her estrogen levels begin to rise, her cervix secretes mucus that is clear, stretchy, and looks like egg whites. This is known as fertile mucus and it is sometimes abbreviated as EWCM, which stands for egg-white cervical mucus. However, during other phases of the menstrual cycle when a woman is not fertile, her cervical mucus can become dry, sticky, or creamy like lotion and it doesn’t stretch. It is not unusual for there to be enough cervical mucus to get the crotch of a woman’s underwear wet, especially when it is the middle of her cycle when she is most fertile and is close to ovulating.