Ovulation pain
Ovulation is a phase of the female menstrual cycle, which involves the release of an egg (ovum) from one of the ovaries. For most women, ovulation occurs about once every month until menopause, apart from episodes of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
About one in five women experience pain and discomfort during ovulation. The duration of the pain varies from one woman to the next, but ranges from a few minutes to 48 hours. In most cases, ovulation pain doesn’t mean that anything is wrong. However, severe pain may sometimes be symptomatic of gynaecological conditions including endometriosis. See your doctor if your ovulation pain lasts longer than three days or is associated with other unusual menstrual symptoms, such as heavy bleeding. Ovulation pain is also known as mid-cycle pain and mittelschmerz (German for ‘middle pain’).
Symptoms
The symptoms of ovulation pain can include:
* Pain in the lower abdomen, just inside the hip bone.
* The pain typically occurs about two weeks before the menstrual period is due.
* The pain is felt on the right or left side, depending on which ovary is releasing an egg.
* The pain may switch from one side to the other from one cycle to the next, or remain on one side for a few cycles.
* The pain sensation varies between individuals – for example, it could feel like uncomfortable pressure, twinges, sharp pains or cramps.
* The duration of pain ranges anywhere from minutes to 48 hours.
Theories on possible causes
The exact cause of ovulation pain is not clear, but theories include:
* Emerging follicle – hormones prompt the ovaries to produce around 20 follicles. Each follicle contains an immature egg (ovum) but only one follicle usually survives to maturity. It is supposed that ovulation pain is caused by the expanding follicle stretching the membrane of the ovary.
* Ruptured follicle – when the egg is mature, it bursts from the follicle. This may cause slight bleeding. The peritoneum (abdominal lining) could be irritated by the blood or fluids from the ruptured follicle, and this may trigger the pain.
Underlying medical problems
In most cases, ovulation pain is harmless. However, severe and prolonged ovulation pain, or other pains felt in the lower abdomen, can be symptomatic of various medical conditions including:
* Salpingitis – inflammation of the fallopian tubes following an infection.
* Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease – inflammation following an infection.
* Endometriosis – the lining of the womb (endometrium) grows in other locations, such as the bowel. Other symptoms include painful periods and painful sex.
* Ovarian cyst – an abnormal pocket of fluid that develops on the ovary.
* Ectopic pregnancy – a pregnancy that develops outside of the womb, most commonly in one of the fallopian tubes. Symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Seek urgent medical help.
* Appendicitis – inflammation of the appendix can sometimes be confused with ovulation pain. Seek urgent medical help if the pain is on the right side of your abdomen and you are experiencing nausea and vomiting.
* Other gastrointestinal problems – lower abdominal pain can be symptomatic of a range of gastrointestinal problems, including perforated ulcer, gastroenteritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Diagnosis methods
Tests that help determine whether ovulation pain is harmless or caused by infection or disease may include:
* Medical history
* Physical examination, including an internal pelvic examination
* Blood tests
* Cervical cultures
* Abdominal ultrasound
* Vaginal ultrasound
* Exploratory surgery (laparoscopy or ‘keyhole’ surgery).
Taking care of yourself
Consult with your doctor to make sure that your ovulation pain isn’t caused by any underlying medical problem. Suggestions on taking care of benign ovulation pain yourself include:
* Relax. If the pain is particularly bothersome, rest in bed whenever you can.
* Use pain-killing medication.
* Warmth on the lower abdomen may help. Use heat packs, hot water bottles or warm baths.
* Take anti-inflammatory drugs. See your doctor or pharmacist for recommendations.
* The Pill and other forms of hormonal contraceptive can prevent ovulation pain because they stop ovulation. Talk over this option with your doctor.
* See your doctor if you experience ovulation pain that lasts longer than three days, or if you have other symptoms such as heavy bleeding or discharge.
Family planning
Chances of conception are high if a couple have sex in the days before, during and after ovulation. Some women rely on ovulation pain to help them plan a pregnancy. However, it is unwise to rely on ovulation pain alone if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy. Always use other methods of birth control.
Where to get help
* Your doctor
* Gynaecologist
* Women’s health clinic
* Family Planning Victoria Tel. (03) 9257 0100
* Women’s Health Victoria Tel. (03) 9662 3755
* Women’s Health Information Centre Information line Tel. (03) 9344 2007, TTY (03) 9344 2849, Country callers Tel. 1800 442 007
Things to remember
* About one in five women experience pain during ovulation that can last from a few minutes to 48 hours.
* Ovulation pain is usually harmless, but can sometimes indicate various medical conditions such as endometriosis.
* See your doctor if your ovulation pain lasts longer than three days or is associated with other unusual menstrual symptoms, such as heavy bleeding.
Hi, I have really bad pain during ovulation. I would like to know can you only become pregnant if you have s.. during ovulation period??
It’s difficult for me to have s.. during this period because of the pain.
Exactly wish day should I do it, to become pregnant. During the pain or when the egg’s been set free, after the pain.
Please explain to me, Many thanks.
typically the egg lasts about 24 hours after it is released from ovary, so your best bet is to have s.. before you actually ovulate. That will give sperm time enough to travel through the fallopian tube to fertilize egg soon after it is released. The fertilized egg then will continue traveling down fallopian tube, becoming a blastula, and then implanting into the uterus.
Hello.
I am 45 years old and lately I have noticed that i present similar PMS symptoms during my ovulation as well including anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, etc. I have reported these symptoms to my doctor. However, he does not have an answer for it. I am currently taking a suplement namded Cohosh and Isoflavones 2 times a day. It did help at the begining. However, these symptoms are returning with more frequency. What I have a hard time understanding is why do I feel this way during ovulation?
Thanks .
OM Gosh, you just described me to a “t”. That is exactly what is going on with me—-glad to know I am not in the boat alone@
Hi I am 26 years old and I have lived with pain during ovulation for the past 10 years. My doctors have all said that it is cysts that form on my ovaries and then pop off, however after checking on the internet now I am not too sure. From what I have read on this site and others it just could be pain from ovulating that may come in handy when I want to have children. My mother, grandmother, at least one of my female cousins, and I all have this pain. The pain has varied with all of us but it happens when we all ovulate. One of the doctors prescribed me birth control pills and I have been taking them for 5 months, they have helped tremendously and I am very grateful for that. Now if there are other ways of regulating the pain other then the pill I would be happy. My fiancee and I want to have kids after we are married, so if anyone has any suggestions of something that I could take to help with the pain while trying to have kids that would be great. I have often wondered if this is genetic within some families.
Hi I`m 32 and trying to get pregnant for the first time.
I have used a contraceptive implant for exatelly one year and then stop to start trying for a baby and have never used contraceptive before. Only after remuved the implant I started felling the ovulation pain. Is that normal? Why I never fell the pain before?
I usually experience painfull urination during ovaluation. what prescription should i use to stop it? and is it normal? my friend don’t experience it like that. i am afraid i dont know if am sick because during the ovaluation, sometimes i run temperature and am hot inside i can’t even bend down sometimes. please am i ok or need some drugs. please reply
i am 46 years old and last month sufferd this terrible pain for whitch the doctor told me it was ovulating pain i will be due soon and will see if it happens again.
About once a month I get a very strong pressure in my abdomen that causes me to bend over and not be able to walk. It almost feels like really bad gas (pardon the expression). Could this be a form of ovulation pain or is it probably something else. It usually lasts a few hours and then goes away but man its intense. I usually get it later in my cycle. Last time was on day 21. Could I be ovulating later? My periods are pretty regular. Anybody else have anything similar?
I have the same symptoms and found out its IBS. Irritable Bowel Syndrome. And this gets worst during Ovulation and Periods.
m
hi i am 45, i have been having severe ovulation pain for more than 15 yrs. recently the pain is sharper and i find myslef screaming in pain. its a combination of back and lower left abdominal pain. my doctors have done pap smears, abdominal and virginal ultra sounds. nothing is wrong with me they said and its normal ovulation pain.
they have recommended hot water bottles, pain killer and anti inflammatory medication- this helps a little but not much.
i have been told to go on contraceptives but i refuse to do so since my mother is a breast cancer patient and i am afraid to take anything which can make me at greater risk for cancer.
during these ovulation pain i feel the need to pass urine and stool more often. IS THIS NORMAL( this only hapens during the three days of ovulation)
ARE THERE ANY OTHER OPTIONS I HAVE THAT CAN HELP ME TO DEAL WITH THESE REALLY SEVERE AND DEBILITATING PAIN. (the pain last for 3 days mid cycle and then goes away)
What anti inflammatory drugs works well with this.
what may be a good strong pain killler for this pain.
I am 24 and have been having horrible abdominal pains (more like intense gas pains that wont pass) that take over my life for 12-48 hours just about once a month. These pains have sent me to the emergency room a couple of times but no one has found a cause. All tests come back normal. Now that i have done some research on my own, it sounds like it could be related to ovulation. My periods are not regular but the pain is. Its like clockwork. Just about every month they come and I am incapacitaded. The pains started about two years ago after I stopped taking birth control pills which i had been taking for 3 or 4 years.
I am still not convinced that it is due to ovulation because it doesn’t hurt to pee or to have sex (actually I havent tried during the pains but I can imagine that it wouldnt), nor is the pain restricted to the inner hip area. This pain is spread all the way from my lower belly up into my chest – and its bad.
Can anyone else relate to this??
Ideas?
Thank you!
I have terrible ovulation pains. My periods are every 28-30 days and on day 12-14 I get terrible abdominal pains. I feel bloated, the need to use the bathroom frequently and pain during intercourse. The pain sometimes goes all the way through to my back. I too have had trips to the emergency room thinking something was seriously wrong. Since my periods and ovulation are regular I prepare by taking ibuprophen on day 12-14 so the inflammation and pain is less before it even starts. Heat and ice help and I have taken vicoden for the pain as well. I sympathise with all women who have these pains.
-J
I am 43 yrs old. I’ve only noticed my ovulation pain in the last few years because of trying one last time to become pregnant. Before trying, I truly did not know much about ovulation so never paid attention. I do notice some months are different than others. Sometimes its very noticable and sometimes not. Although its never extremely painful. More like isolated PMS. The one thing that I did want to know from others that do get ovulation pain is if they happen to know when exactly they are ovulating. Is the pain before, during or after the ovulation. For example, I had very slight cramping Christmas Night, woke up and had about an hour of pretty good cramps while making breakfast, then it went away for a bit (after sex), then that night…OMG….the gas pains were intense and I had to just go to bed and lay down. Woke up this morning and I still feel something, but not much. I’m trying to figure out when exactly I ovulated. Was it during that one hour of intense cramping? If so….I think we missed the window…lol.
Hi,
I am 25 yrs old, I have been having these pains for about 1 yr now. I guess what I would like to know will I always have these pains are will they go away since I have not had them a long time? They dont last long but they bother me. So is it normal to just start having these pains when you have no previous history of ovulation pains? PLEASE HELP!!
I am 27 and have had these pains for probably 5 years or more and I had no idea that that was what it was until a friend told me and sure enough she was right on the money with symptoms and where it was. Mine are usually predominately on the left side almost right in the middle diagonally between my belly button and my left hip bone. I get them and just grit my teeth and it hurts and then it goes away and usually comes back a few times over the next few hours and then the next day but most only last about 10-20 seconds. It is a very very sharp stabbing pain almost. Much worse than a gas cramp or normal cramp. I think if you are feeling the pain in your abs or stomach or anywhere out of your normal cramp area that you might want to go to a doctor. That seems bad. I have been on the pill for almost 6 years and it doesn’t seem to do anything different for them…
Hi, I’m 29 years old and I want an answer to this question.Can anyone help??
My period varies from 28-35 days and its been regular.I want to know that if I get my periods regularly should it mean that I’ ovulating properly every month or its like I’ll get my periods even if I’m not ovulating??
Thanks,
Sangeetha
Hey Christine,I’m nearly 43 and trying for another child and Your situation seems similar to me,the pain varys from each individual woman but the ovulation pains start at the start of your ovulation and in the middle of it,I suggest you buy an ovulation kit from a super market or store like Big W or Kmart,general store,which are cheaper and when you get that mucus which is a slimey feeling in your vagina it means take an ovulation test they are terific and work wonders, ive been monitering mine for over a year no luck so far,but Ive got it so presise thanks to these kits,and now I dont use them as I have mastered it to a tea, Good Luck
Hello everyone! I am 32 and have been experiencing ovulation pains for the past 7 years. This time though has been the worst. Like Caroline in an earlier post, I too had a pain on the lower left side of my abdomen that shot all the way up to my chest. I went to my GP because there was pain in my chest, but as it turns out it has everything to do with my pelvis. I have an appt. today with my obgyn and I am hoping to find out more than just it is a really bad ovulation episode. I will post if I learn anything new!
hi,
am geting this mild ovulation pain after mi first delivery and
later now i feel pain while passing urine and that too on the
left back side on mi hip.. which s tolearble..
do any one have same problem.does this normal pains have any relation to ectopic pregnency..since i already had one ectopic and mi left tubes are removed and am planning for mi secone baby…pls help..
Hi,
I am 28 years old. I had a miscarriage in may 2008 when I was 5 weeks into pregnancy. From the next coupe of months, the ovulation pain(still not sure if it is this) started. Never ever had it before. I went to the emergency room because it was very bad once and then they said it was nothing. No gas, no bloating, no appendicitis. But, this pain has been ever since. Except for that one time, it did not handicap me at all…But it always has remained after the miscarriage.
I spoke to my obgyn about this and she told me that it is most likely ovulation pain. But, I am not sure why it should only start after the m/c.
im a 18yr old girl and have been getting adomal pains i went to the doctors and they told me wen i overlate my ovaries are popping is there anything for me to worry about
Hi, i also need an answer to the pains i experience every month on the lower right side of my abdomen. I’m 40 and have experienced this pain since i was 20. I was told its ovulation pain and i use ibuprofen and hot water bottle which fairly reduces the pain but doesnt get rid of it totally. I want to know why during this period i feel bloated and my tummy becomes hard and big. Should i be concerned?
I’m 41 and am trying to have another child. My husband and I have tried the last 4 months and no success. I am using the Clear Blue Easy Ovulation test now and before I took it this morning, I felt the pains coming on. Sure enough I’m ovulating. My question is could I of started ovulating yesterday and when the egg is released, that is when I feel the pain? They said in this website that it is only theory of when the pain actually occurs. Anybody have any better knowledge?
I get mild pains for one day when I ovulate and this is how I know when I do. This has been happening off and on now for the past several years. It doesn’t hurt severely and I can go about my day normally, just with this slightly full feeling and pressure in my abdomen near my left hip bone. I think I always feel it there because my whole uterus (so a doctor once told me) is located more to that side.
My understanding is that ovulation occurs mid-cycle and about two weeks before your period begins. This has been my experience and I can time my periods by when I feel mittelschmerz. It’s like clockwork and, although it’s uncomfortable, I find it useful and a bit of a miracle.
Sex definitely helps ease the pain and so does yoga. Sitting or laying around doesn’t do much for me. I have to move around and get my heart rate up. Chamomile tea is useful too. I’ve not used a heating pad or hot water bottle, but I might now. I won’t take The Pill.
I haven’t yet tried to get pregnant, but I’ll be using my pain as a gauge for when is the best time once I do try. But, really, any day between the 8th and 19th day of a woman’s cycle is a possible time for her to get pregnant. You don’t have to have sex on the exact day (or around the day) you ovulate to make a baby.
The whole system kind of seems to be set up for conception, really. It’s not that much of a mystery.
i have pain on the 10 day to 14. my lower tummy is hot and pain when i touch it. my cycle ranges from 24-27. I dont have pain during penetration but due this pain i cant have sex bcos my legs and tummy are painful. at this time i experience burning sensation on my thigh. i have to the bathroom more often, constipation, nausea,
During menses i start spotting 2-4 days bofore menses it last for 5 days and its heavy and painful.
I tried clomid 3 times and no results now using chasteberry. Full blood count was done by my dr all it normal
hey ive been getting all the same as you guy but i see there is no anwers i dont know about you lot no one seems to know the anwers!!!!!!!!!not even doctors ive been like it years but this time i had period on the 3rd and by the 10th i ve had the pain s with a stabbing pain up my bits s i dont know and my period was for 5 days but it started yellowish and smelt if anyone know what going on for if had the same xxx
hi im katie, im 30 yrs old, after i had my daughter, now 2 and a half ive been experiencing really bad ovulating pains, its like some one is sticking a knife in my abdomen and twisting it, the pain is excrutiating, im bent over and can barley walk, ive now gotton use to it, and as soon as i feel the pain coming i take pain killers and there gone as soon as the pain relief kicks in, but seriously ive never experienced pain like this, its so uncomfortable… after reading the posts on the page, im not so worried now, as it always happens two weeks after my period, so its deffinetly ovulation pain.. but why have i never gotton it before i fell pregnant~?