Human cervical mucus. II. Changes in viscoelasticity during the ovulatory menstrual cycle

Quantitative viscoelasticity measurements were made on individual human cervical mucus samples by microrheometry. Increases in mean values for mucus spinnbarkeit, ferning, and wet weight were associated with the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, while no significant differences versus time were noted for mean values for sample pH or nondialyzable dry weight. A nadir in mucus nondialyzable solids (NDS) concentration and in visoelasticity was seen at or near midcycle. Substantial, highly reproducible, variations in mucus viscoelasticity were observed when mucus from different donors was compared. When the contribution of (NDS) to viscoelasticity was minimized by data normalization or by sample reconstitution, a significant increase in viscoelasticity was associated with the ovulatory phase of the cycle, suggesting the occurrence of a relative increase in mucin concentration or a compositional change in the mucus.