How to check pH for DH and DW
Update 12-13-17: Over the last 7 years we have seen SO MANY pH opposites, where people with ideal pH got opposites and people who had "bad" pH had successes, both pink to blue and blue to pink, that it has become very difficult for us to rationally believe in pH as a "magic bullet" for swaying. atomic got a boy testing her pH 2-3 times a day, with a pH of 4.5-5 range that never went up till after she was already pregnant. She never tested pH at all and got a girl! pH testing just doesn't work. Fine if you want to try it, just don't get super hung up on it!
Before you proceed with pH testing, please read the following for a scientific investigation of why pH probably doesn't sway in the ways that the "old school" sway gurus claim - at least not in any reliable way. http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...ph-pickle.html
:wave:FOR LADIES - To check your pH you want to check the pH of your cervical mucus. NOT urine or saliva - although you can check these things if you like and are curious, but they do not compare with CM and are also very affected by the foods/beverages you just ate or drank. You cannot tell anything for swaying off of urine or saliva pH.
The normal pH of vaginal secretions outside of the fertile window are between 4 and 5 to kill off harmful organisms. However, for swaying purposes you want to know what the pH of your cervical mucus is, particularly your pH at/around ovulation - in the fertile window of O-3 or 4 through O Day. Fertile EWCM pH is typically quite a lot higher than vaginal pH because during your infertile days there is a thick plug of mucus blocking the entrance to your vagina so very little CM comes out during your infertile days - if you are testing on your infertile days, your reading will be much lower, but don't get excited or disappointed yet, this reading is largely meaningless (although it can possibly help you to see if your day-to-day acidity is being affected by your diet and supps.)
As ovulation nears, your cervix softens and this plug dissolves, and if you are very closely monitoring your cervix (which there is NO NEED to do this and I'd prefer you didn't to prevent risks of infection) you can actually kind of notice this happening. Without the plug and with a larger opening in the cervix, the CM (which is now more alkaline and also much more plentiful) begins to flow out and it raises your pH into the 7's which is the healthy pH of both EWCM and semen, at which maximum numbers of both X and Y sperm survive.
It is a matter of debate http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...ph-pickle.html whether boy sperm really like super high pH and girl sperm like super low pH, or if higher pH sways instead by ensuring more sperm survive to make it to the egg and somehow higher numbers of sperm sway blue while fewer sperm (because less survive in lower pH) sway pink. Either way, the result would be the same - for TTC pink you want less, thicker, and lower pH CM than you normally have and for TTC blue you want more, thinner, and higher pH.
To know what exactly you are looking/feeling for, please read
http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...sition-cm.html
Feel for your cervix and in the middle there will be a dent/hole. Some sites tell you to stick your finger into that hole and pull it open, but this is NOT SAFE and may lead to infection, swelling, or even bleeding (which REALLY screws up your pH!). SERIOUSLY please do not do this!! Instead, just scoop up whatever mucus is present onto the tip of your finger and test that by smearing it onto your pH stick/test strip or digital wand. You may need to wait as long as 10 minutes for the sticks to react but in most instances, you should get a result within 60 seconds (digital will read right away).
Cervical CM is the most alkaline and as your CM passes through and hangs around inside your vagina, it rises in pH due to the acid secretions of the vagina. You need to know the pH of the mucus as it leaves the cervix, before it gets diluted by the vaginal pH. Take care to avoid cross-contamination as much as you can (there will always be some! don't beat yourself up over it!).
If you cannot get enough CM to test with, you can try two different strategies to help. You can try taking Robitussin or Mucinex http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-...n-ttc-boy.html which will increase your CM...this is fine for blue swayers at any time of the month because you want more CM as part of your sway, but for pink swayers, you should not take these meds within a week of ovulation, because you want less CM (so really not going to help you know what pH is around ovulation!). The second strategy is to use a Diva or Instead cup or your diaphragm to collect CM. Leave it in for about an hour, remove it and test what is in the cup.
Be aware that either strategy ~may~ affect pH and make it different than what it really is...if you are at all able, try to rely on what your body is producing naturally.
Also, it is NORMAL for your pH to vary quite a bit throughout your cycle, rising around ovulation. So if you only test pH early in your cycle, you may think your pH is great (for pink) or terrible (for blue) but it will rise significantly at ovulation. It may be helpful for you to chart the variations in your pH along with your BBT, CM, and cervical position (see link above for more info on that.) Update: We have found no benefit to charting pH because it not only doesn't work, but it also varies wildly by the month and never seems to take on any reliable pattern. Beyond that, charting pH fluctuations makes pink swayers get very control-freaky (which may sway blue) and can make blue swayers feel overwhelmed and defeated (which may sway pink). Testing pH gives you no benefit and may be a very a risk to your sway.
If, after trying several times over the course of time, your pH sticks/strips do not change color at all (and you have tested them on other things to make sure they're not defective) you may have low ionic strength. Do NOT use the supplements such as copper recommended by some sites as cures for low ionic strength - they can cause you serious harm! You will need a digital tester in that case (if you MUST test pH!) Update - I cannot in good conscience recommend spending a penny on testing pH! If you must test, just use the cheap paper strips! Don't waste money on a digital tester - pH has not been in any way a reliable indicator of whose sways fail and whose succeed!
:wave:FOR OUR HUBBIES - You need a sample of sperm in a glass container or a condom...if you wipe it off skin :oops: the pH may be affected. pH ~may~ be higher if the sample is given via intercourse because more of the pre-ejaculate fluid is released, so try it both ways just for fun and see if there's any difference. This might help you with swaying as well, because if your husband's pH really rises with intercourse you can use that info to help you make the right choices for controlling his pH. pH seems to rise over time, so test the sample right away, don't leave it sitting out for very long.