Pain can take any form from heart ache, headache, or pain accompanying menses, childbirth or death. Add to this Ovulation Pain, which nearly twenty percent of women endure every month. To differentiate Ovulation Pain from appendicitis or abdominal pain one needs to differentiate the symptoms. Ovulation Pain occurs about two weeks before menses in the lower abdomen, just inside the hip bone. It can be felt on either side, depending from which ovary the egg is released. Some women experience a sharp pain while others feel cramps or minor twinges that extends to a dull nagging ache till next day. Occasionally, nausea follows light menstrual spotting, lasting from 6 to 8 hours or twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
Ovulation Pain is result of small leakage of blood from the ovary at time of ovulation. This leaking blood, though later reabsorbed, causes irritation of the abdominal wall and is responsible for pain. The intensity of pain depends on individual and the volume of blood. Another factor for irritation is space between a woman's ovary and her abdominal wall. One redeeming point is that painful ovulation does not instigate other gynecologic problems.
Ovulation is a phase of the fertility cycle, so even if pain is severe one should avoid anxiety or unnecessary medical treatment. The reason is that Ovulation Pain is harmless in itself. Learn to relax, consult a doctor for pain relievers, drink plenty of fluids and check your temperature several times a day to be sure you are not developing an infection. Try using a heating pad or taking warm baths. A reason for worry is when pain persists for more than 3 days, or if there are accompanying symptoms such as blood in vomit or stool, faintness or dizziness, high fever, difficult or painful urination, swollen abdomen or breathing problems.
Ovulation Pain is not a serious malady but an occasional occurrence. To be prepared, maintain a chart or diary of the cycle of pain at start of menstrual periods. Then, with the aid of your medical history, a physical examination and other medical tests, this pain can be diagnosed and treated. Sometimes women undergo 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. If pain is severe or there are some irregularities, then blood tests or X-rays is recommended.
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