oh ladies, this is bad! Ok, I am MID cycle, which is when you ovulate.....and boy oh boy, this stinks this month! I've never, NEVER had ovulation pain in my entire life. This is on the left ovary, it's sort of like a cramp, but more like outright PAIN!!!!!
I was fine today, was going about my normal business, when WHAM, suddenly in my kitchen, while making toast, this PAIN hit me in the lower abdominal area, right by my left ovary. Now, understand, that I have been dealing with a lot of intestinal issues since August as well, so it COULD have been my descending colon there, which is also on the left. It could have been the lowest part there, of the colon, i don't know .....but HOLY COW! It made me nauseas, and break out into a cold sweat, just standing there.
(prob. from the fear it caused). I called my dr.'s office, and explained this to his nurse (the head nurse really, he has three), she knows me, and this whole intestinal thing I've been dealing with, it's prob. some form of IBS,.... she said it COULD be the colon tip, down at the end,,,,but more than likely, since it's MID cycle for me, it's prob. ovulation pain, she went on to explain that that kind of pain can be very very bad, and make you feel as though there is something really wrong in there! (which is what i was thinking).


ok, so, I need to hear some other stories here! LOL .... I need to hear if anyone else here has this, or someting similar...bec. my mind goes nuts with fear, and i start thinking thoughts like, it's my ovary and it's going to burst, or some insane thing.....well, that's really because many years ago, a good friend of mine had that happen to her. Yeah, she was about 32 at the time, and one night, out of the blue, she woke up in HORRIBLE PAIN, on her left ovary side there. Her husband rushed her to the ER, and sure enough, it was inflamed (or whatever), and they got it just in time! OK, that's all i keep thinking here! The nurse said to me, that she didn't think this sounded like that, and that if that were the case, i'd be rolling on the floor in pain. So, i asked her, hey, what if this is the BEGINNING of that, she chuckled and said that doesn't happen like that, bec. the ovary doesn't have nerve endings IN IT....just around it, so that's why even my girlfriend didn't feel a thing in the beginning stages at all, it had to get to that point.

OH geez, i get so worked up! Well, I need some encouragement here .... wait, you all should know, that when this happened, (BTW, the actual real PAIN in there, lasted about maybe 5 minutes or so, then it SLOWLY decreased), but I took one and a half xanax to stop the spasming feeling in there, which had begun by now as well, and hopefully, stop the PAIN.....well, it did. It took about 1/2 hr. but it kicked in, and i began to feel somewhat better. I had to just lie on the couch in a ball, squishing my lower abdomen! THIS IS FUN~! That was about 2 and a half hours ago now, and i can at least get up and function, not great, but ok.
But, however, i can still feel the weird PAIN , and discomfort lurking around down there, by the left ovary....now, i'm afriad that once the xanax wears off, it'll be back.

I'd be grateful for any and all stories of anything similar! thanks guys! Sincerely, MyDarling

oooooppppppssssssss....I FORGOT...lol...ok, this PAIN hit me about 5 minutes after i had had a BM... it wasn't much of a BM either, very little, and i did have to sort of push it out....but not OVERDONE , just normal. so, maybe muscular? it feels sore in there.....it almost felt as though, maybe the inside of the colon got SCRATCHED when it was coming out? I know this sounds ridiculous, just thinking of what the heck could have caused this? It still feels sore in there.

My darling,
Please, take it easy, I have the same thing every month, believe me. Pain, bloating, and even anal cramps, which hurt really bad ( sorr for TMI).
I have it during ovulation, days 9-13, alternating right and left sides every month, this is actually completely normal, and there is German word for this - mittelschmerz , which is middle pain. I always had it, it does not last longer than few hours, but the intensity varies from a little twitch to razor like stabbing pain. I hope this makes you feel a bit better, hugs,
I.

Hello Mydarling,

I have had extreme pain upon my ovary twice in my life. The pain for me was a stabbing pain, extremely sharp type pain. One time it hit me as I was in the shower, while shampoo was in my hair, I completely fainted!!!! Blacked out cold.

Later at the doctors office I was told that sometimes (this is only what happened to me), a cyst can burst on it's own and it can be extremely painful. The body has a way of getting rid of these cyst's on it's own. That is what I was told back then.

Othertimes, I have had really sharp pains that last a couple of days, the pain get's duller each day. Not sure why this pain happen's, but it should go away. The only thing I would suggest is that you relax and rest up. It should ease up, maybe an advil would help or some type of pain reliever. If things should get worse, then go to the doc's.

Any intense pain can make us anxious, so you are just being normal. I hope that you feel better real soon, sometimes our bodies say RELAX and we have to listen, right???

Take care, Juliann

Hi MyDarling,

This happened last year to me the pain was on my right ovary. I had a cyst that burst I was in the ER all day, but everything turned out fine. Dr.'s couldn't do anything its all part of the cycle. The cyst burst and your body will take care of everything else. Just take it easy for the next few day.

ok, i thought of somehting else here .... i hope this doesnt' sound like a silly question, but do our ovaries have nerve endings? i mean, ok , not all parts of the body have nerve endings, or feel pain. Sometimes, the pain may be felt outside the organ affected, say by the surrounding muscles which DO have nerve endings, which then send pain signals.. .. so, I"m wondering if our ovaries actually have nerve endings that feel pain, or when we are ovulating, let's say .... it's more REFERRED pain, maybe being picked up from nearby muscles or tissues? jsut a thought...........

Hi there,

I had this last month. I rarely get ovulation pain, but had it last month on my right ovary, which is always an issue for me, since I have scar tissue there from an endometrioma that was removed years ago.

The pain was knife-like and held on for a couple days. Then it became achy until I got my period. I'm thinking a cyst might have formed near the scar tissue, or that the endometriosis, which I'm sure is back, reared its head.

Best of luck!

I used to get this pain, almost like a knife, and lasted for about 12 hours. Not every month, though, and always on the left side.
Here's something I found that you should read. It explains why you feel pain, and where the pain is coming from:

Is Painful Ovulation Normal?
All women are familiar with cramping, headaches, bloating, and constipation or diarrhea that accompany periods every month. But some women also experience mid-cycle ovulation pain. This is absolutely normal and surprisingly common. Painful ovulation or mid-cycle pain affects about twenty percent of women. Although the pain may feel like something serious is wrong, painful ovulation or is rarely serious.

Painful ovulation, when severe, is referred to as mittelschmerz, a German word that means "middle pain." Most women who experience painful ovulation usually report a nagging pain that begins as a sharp twinge and diminishes into a dull ache for the next day or so. But for some women, the pain can be severe enough to be disabling and can even be confused with appendicitis. Occasionally, in addition to mid cycle pain and cramping, some women may experience nausea, and/or light menstrual spotting. Mittelschmerz lasts for 6 to 8 hours in most women; however, occasionally it can last as long as twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

While the discomfort can occur on either side of the abdomen, it is more commonly experienced on the right. Pain in the abdomen can occur during intercourse or it can be aggravated by intercourse, working out or other physical activity. In addition to pain, some women also experience gastrointestinal symptoms and increased frequency of urination. Painful ovulation may occur every month, but more typically occurs every third to fourth cycle.

What causes painful ovulation / mittelschmerz?
Painful ovulation/mittelschmerz is believed to be caused by a small leakage of blood from the ovary that occurs at the time of ovulation. This blood, which is later reabsorbed, is thought to cause an irritation of the abdominal wall which causes pain. The degree of pain you feel depends on your individual pain threshold and the volume of blood that is released, among other factors. The amount of space that exists between a woman's ovary and her abdominal wall can also affect the severity of the irritation. While painful ovulation does not lead to other problems, other medical conditions can cause painful ovulation, such as PCOS or fibroids on the ovaries. If you are concerned, it is suggested that you visit your doctor to discuss your issues.

How is painful ovulation / mittelschmerz diagnosed?
Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks after the first day of each menstrual cycle, so the timing of the pain makes mittelschmerz easy to recognize. The best way to diagnose your painful ovulation is to keep a chart or diary showing when the pain occurs in relation to the start of your menstrual periods. Your doctor will use this diary in conjunction with your medical history, a physical exam, and perhaps some other medical tests to rule out other possible causes of your pain before making a diagnosis of mittelschmerz.

Occasionally some women may require laparoscopy, in which a narrow tube with a fiber-optic light on the end is introduced through a small incision below the navel and into the abdominal wall. This procedure allows for a direct view of the pelvic organs. If your pain is severe or if the doctor notices any irregularities on the exam, he or she may order blood tests or X-rays to help determine the cause of your pain.

Because the pain of ovulation can be anxiety-provoking and, if severe enough, can be confused with appendicitis, you should be careful not to get misled into undergoing unnecessary gynecologic surgery when dealing with painful ovulation.

I have always had ovulation pain, wish I knew what it was back in my 20's so I could had avoided needless worrying. The pain feels like something is pinching my ovary. I rarely get it anymore so I know I'm not ovulating, but when it does come it's worse then ever!
See if your doctor will order a pelvic ultrasound, I once had a hemorrhagic cyst which are more painful.
They are fill with blood.
Doctor told me it would bust and the next ultrasound showed it had with the fluid still there.
Best thing to do is use a hot water bottle and take some pain medication.

OH THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Yeah, this was bad! I have never had this, i mean, sure, during my life time i've had "cramps" and such, but this was such a sudden, pain .... it WASN'T like a knife like you guys describe though, it was more of a VERY DEEP BAD pain, or ache! It happened out of nowhere. I was standing there, by the microwave waiting for my coffee, and here we go!
It was the weirdest, SICKEST, DEEP ache .... made me feel nauseas. I mean, I broke out into a sweat for pete sake! I just stood there, frozen...waiting for it to subside. It did eventually, at least enough for me to walk back into the living room, and tell my husband, and plop down on the couch AGAIN! WOW! then, like i said,,,,,i took xanax (thank God for that stuff), and in about 1/2 hr. it was passing .... then gone. But wow! I wonder too, how much the hormonal changes before your period, affect your intestinal situation? I was thinking, maybe it was my colon, i mean, i've been dealing with BAD intestinal crap latley! It's most likely a form of IBS....from what i've been reading. I never know from one day to the next, what i can eat, or waht i can't eat! I was constipated for 2 days, then today, all this horrible churning, in the lower intestines, and loose stools!!!! UGH! well, at least i wasn't constipated anymore! LOL. ... but the feeling afterwards, gosh, it feels like my intestines ARE SORE!

thankyou all so much! Sincerely, MyDarling

Hi Md i had the same thing happen to me after having a B.M. I thought i pulled a muscle in lower tummy but then i realized it was my ovary it went away after 10 minute of real sharp pain. i had this twice already . So it could be ovalation or strained ourselves.Hugs Terry

I have had ovulation pain like what you are describing. One time it was so bad I was all sweaty and it practically made me double over. I have been to many doctors and they never found out anything. Like everyone has said, it is probably a cyst bursting or ovulation. I know I get lots of pain on my side from ovulation when I do ovulate. I wouldn't worry but that is easier said than done in peri.

Mopsy

It is most likely just the painful ovulation,nothing to worry about. But, why don't you get your doc to order vaginal ultrasound, to make sure everything is A okay....

Terri

I too have had ovulation pain all my life. I can remember thinking in my teens that I was having an appendicitis but my mom told me otherwise. It seems as I have gotten older that it has gotten worse. I never could have children and took loads of fertility drugs and relate my pain now to being shot up with Pergonal when I was trying to get pregnant. Most of my life it was my right ovary but I guess it has quit working cause now it is mostly on my left side. In fact, I am sitting right here now on day 12 of my cycle with the worst pain. Tylenol and applying heat always help me. Since I have hit this peri thing, I have had several months of it being sore for several days instead of the usual 1 day.

Stephanie