Do You Understand Ovulation Pain?

Have you ever had the experience that one day in the middle of two menstrual periods, one side of your abdomen is suddenly swollen and uncomfortable for no apparent reason, and there may be back pain, lumbago or even a little bleeding.When you are in pain for a day, worrying if you might be sick, the next day you are fine again, as if nothing had happened.

If you are suffering from this, don’t worry too much, it could be ovulation pain.However, if the pain is severe, the timing of the pain is off, and there are other accompanying symptoms do not ignore it and seek medical attention.

What is ovulation pain?

As the name suggests, ovulation pain is the pain caused by ovulation.We’ve all learned about ovulation in biology class and know that the union of sperm and egg is the origin of individual development, but do you know what the exact process of ovulation is?Normal ovaries often have large and small bumps on their surface, which are follicles at various stages of development.The follicle has a follicular membrane on the outside and a follicular lumen filled with follicular fluid and a large number of granulosa cells.As the follicle matures, the follicular fluid becomes very full and the tension in the follicular cavity increases, eventually bursting open on the surface of the ovary and “ejecting” the follicular fluid along with the egg cells.

This process produces a sensation of distension as the follicle enlarges and squeezes the ovary, and the destruction of the surface of the ovary when the follicle ruptures results in sharp or tugging pain.Ovulation is sometimes accompanied by a small amount of bleeding, and the irritation of the peritoneum by follicular fluid and blood produces a dull, aching pain and swelling in the lower abdomen that cannot be clearly localized.These conditions together contribute to the formation of “ovulation pain”.

What are the characteristics of ovulation pain?

Only one egg is usually discharged during each menstrual cycle, usually by alternating ovaries on both sides.That’s why the swelling, sharp pains, and pulling pains associated with an enlarged and ruptured follicle tend to be confined to one side.In other words, if you’re ovulating this time with a right lower abdominal pulling pain, that means that this time it’s the right ovary that’s ovulating, and of course the next time it’s probably going to be on the left side.However, the ovaries are not always equitably divided, so it is also possible that the pain is on the same side for months on end, and this has no fixed location in the case of the vague, dull, cramping pain associated with blood irritation.

Ovulation pains may last only a few minutes to a few hours, or they may last a day or two, but they usually don’t last much longer.

After ovulation, the remainder of the follicle is transformed into the corpus luteum.The estrogen and progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum can induce further growth and development of the endometrium so that it becomes suitable for embryo implantation. If there is no fertilized egg formation, then the corpus luteum will lose its function 14 days after ovulation, and the endometrium will shrivel up and flake off due to the loss of hormonal support from the corpus luteum, turning into menstruation to be discharged from the body.Therefore, ovulation pain must occur 14 days before the next menstrual period.

In addition to abdominal pain, ovulation pain is sometimes accompanied by back pain and lower back pain.If the pain is severe, you may also feel nausea and loss of appetite.Estrogen levels will drop back somewhat after ovulation, sometimes causing a small amount of spotting to occur in the lining of the uterus.

How do you cope with ovulation pain?

Ovulation pain is a normal physiological phenomenon that is usually harmless and does not require special treatment.

However, ovulation pain can sometimes be particularly pronounced, and oral painkillers can be taken to relieve the discomfort after diagnosis.If you suffer from ovulation pain for a long time, you may also consider using hormonal contraceptives (e.g. oral short-acting contraceptives, subcutaneous implants, progestin-containing intrauterine devices, etc.) to inhibit ovulation.

It is important to emphasize that ignoring ovulation pain or taking active measures presupposes that the cause of the pain is identified as ovulation pain, and if you are not sure, you need to turn to a professional for evaluation.

In these 3 cases, seek medical attention immediately!

If the pain occurs 14 days before the next menstrual period, is tolerable, is not accompanied by other uncomfortable symptoms, and resolves on its own within two days without the need to take any action, then it can be initially recognized as ovulation pain.

If any of the following occurs, you need to seek medical attention:

1. Severe pain
   Regardless of whether it is ovulation pain or not, you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible when the pain is severe, and you should not take medication on your own to carry it off.Because severe pain can be due to the occasional severe ovulation pain, but also by ectopic pregnancy, acute pelvic inflammation, appendicitis, ovarian cyst rupture, torsion of the tip of the disease and other diseases, just happen to occur at that point in time.So even if the pain occurs during ovulation, it should not be taken lightly, and you should go to the hospital in case of seriousness.
2. Time bias
   If the timing of the abdominal pain is not during ovulation (no menstrual period after 14 days) or if the abdominal pain lasts for more than 2 days, you also need to be alert to other diseases that cause abdominal pain, and it is best to go to the hospital for a checkup as well if the symptoms don’t resolve on their own.
3. Presence of concomitant symptoms
   In addition to the common symptoms mentioned earlier, if there are symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, a sensation of anal swelling, or if the bleeding pattern is not dark spotting but bright, heavy bleeding, this suggests that there is likely to be other illnesses and that they need to be taken seriously and attended to in a timely manner.