I am trying to conceive, and for the last three months I've noticed I haven't had that "slippery egg white" discharge at all through my entire cycle. I have always had it in the past. My periods have been pretty regular. Might this change mean I am not ovulating? I have had two yeast infections; could that play any role?

D.L.

If you are concerned about whether you are ovulating, I would suggest you use a urine LH test kit. This will indicate a rise in urinary LH immediately before ovulation. A rise in basal body temperature can also confirm whether you have ovulated, although it is less effective at predicting or indicating the actual day of ovulation.

Your cervical mucus changes may be related to yeast infections -- or any of a number of other factors. Recent studies have demonstrated that cervical mucus and postcoital testing are of little or no value in predicting conception or directing treatment. As such, we longer recommend either of these tests as part of the routine infertility evaluation.