Editing Cervix (section)

=== Fertility ===
The cervical canal is a pathway through which sperm enter the uterus after being induced by [[estradiol]] after [[penile-vaginal intercourse]],<ref name=GUYTONHALL2005>{{cite book| vauthors = Guyton AC, Hall JE |title=Textbook of Medical Physiology|date=2005|publisher=W.B. Saunders|location=Philadelphia, PA|isbn=978-0-7216-0240-0|page=1027|edition=11th}}</ref> and some forms of [[artificial insemination]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Demystifying IUI, ICI, IVI and IVF |date=4 January 2014 |url=https://www.seattlespermbank.com/demystifying-iui-ici-ivi-and-ivf/ |publisher=Seattle Sperm Bank |access-date=9 November 2014}}</ref> Some sperm remains in cervical crypts, infoldings of the endocervix, which act as a reservoir, releasing sperm over several hours and maximising the chances of fertilisation.<ref name=BRANNIGAN2008>{{cite journal| vauthors = Brannigan RE, Lipshultz LI |title=Sperm Transport and Capacitation|year=2008|journal=The Global Library of Women's Medicine|doi=10.3843/GLOWM.10316|url=http://www.glowm.com/section_view/heading/Sperm%20Transport%20and%20Capacitation/item/315}}</ref> A theory states the cervical and uterine contractions during [[orgasm]] draw semen into the uterus.<ref name=GUYTONHALL2005 /> Although the "upsuck theory" has been generally accepted for some years, it has been disputed due to lack of evidence, small sample size, and methodological errors.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Levin RJ |title=The human female orgasm: a critical evaluation of its proposed reproductive functions|journal=Sexual and Relationship Therapy|date=November 2011|volume=26|issue=4|pages=301–14|doi=10.1080/14681994.2011.649692|s2cid=143550619}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Borrow AP, Cameron NM | title = The role of oxytocin in mating and pregnancy | journal = Hormones and Behavior | volume = 61 | issue = 3 | pages = 266–276 | date = March 2012 | pmid = 22107910 | doi = 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.11.001 | s2cid = 45783934 }}</ref>

Some methods of [[fertility awareness]], such as the [[Creighton Model FertilityCare System|Creighton model]] and the [[Billings ovulation method|Billings method]] involve estimating a woman's periods of fertility and infertility by observing physiological changes in her body.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thijssen |first=A. |last2=Meier |first2=A. |last3=Panis |first3=K. |last4=Ombelet |first4=W. |date=2014 |title='Fertility Awareness-Based Methods' and subfertility: a systematic review |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25374654 |journal=Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=113–123 |issn=2032-0418 |pmc=4216977 |pmid=25374654}}</ref> Among these changes are several involving the quality of her cervical mucus: the sensation it causes at the [[vulva]], its elasticity (''[[Spinnbarkeit]]''), its transparency, and the presence of [[Fern test|ferning]].<ref name="Weschler"/>