Paper - Spinnbarkeit- A characteristic of cervical mucus

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Cohen MR. Stein IF. Sr and Kaye BM. Spinnbarkeit: A characteristic of cervical mucus - significance at ovulation time. (1952) Fertil Steril. 1952 May-Jun;3(3):201-9.PMID 14945532

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Mark Hill.jpg This 1952 paper by Cohen and colleagues describes the changes in cervical mucus properties "Spinnbarkeit" (fibrosity or stretchable) that describes how a viscous liquid (cervical mucus) can be drawn out into a strand or blown up into a bubble.



Modern Notes: menstrual cycle


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Spinnbarkeit: a characteristic of cervical mucus; significance at ovulation time

Melvin R. Cohen MR. Irving F. Stein, Sr., M.D., and Bernard M. Kaye, M.D.


Accurate timing of ovulation is especially necessary (1) in artificial insemination in order to avoid wastage of donor semen; (2) in cases where the husband is relatively infertile and it is necessary to conserve his semen. While many physicians rely upon the basal body temperature curve for timing ovulation, the interpretation of such curves is varied. Some physicians believe ovulation occurs prior to the lowest point in the temperature cycle, while others believe that ovulation occurs either at the low point or following the thermal shift. We have been disappointed in our ability to interpret the basal body temperature curve for accurate timing of ovulation, and have placed greater reliance upon concurrent phenomena, such as changes in the quantity and viscosity of cervical mucus and the cyclic changes observed in the vaginal smear. Although the relationship between the occurrence of a profuse, thin cervical mucus discharge and the optimal time of fertility in the human has been recognized for the past century, in our opinion this relationship requires further evaluation.


Guttmacher AF & Shettles LB. (1940). Cyclic changes in cervical mucus, and its practical importance. Hum Fertil , 5, 4-9. PMID: 12305580

SHETTLES LB. (1949). Cervical mucus; cyclic variations and their clinical significance. Obstet Gynecol Surv , 4, 614-23. PMID: 18142502


Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, March 19) Embryology Paper - Spinnbarkeit- A characteristic of cervical mucus. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Paper_-_Spinnbarkeit-_A_characteristic_of_cervical_mucus

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