Pain in Ovaries – Know What’s Causing It

Pain in ovaries is not uncommon. In fact, as a woman, you will most likely experience pain in ovary at one point in your life. Some are paranoid about their painful ovaries and think that it may cause ovarian cancer. Maybe this is because of the fact that everyday more and more women are developing cancer. Ask a person if he or she knows somebody who has cancer and most of the time they will answer yes – some even give a name. It’s a little bit disturbing that cancer is so widespread. But that’s not to say that pain in the ovary area causes cancer – as ovary pain is almost never due to cancer of the ovaries. Pain in ovaries may be caused by other factors. Let’s try to explore some of them.

There are some cases where a woman feels pain in the middle of their monthly period. This can be because of ovulation. The pain happens around 11 to 15 days after menstruation. This condition is called ‘mittelschmerz’ (pain of the middle) where a follicle in one of the ovaries will burst to release an egg. This egg is supposedly used for fertilization and will be implanted to the linings of the womb. It produces an unpleasant feeling but does not produce an intense kind of pain. It is also not the kind of pain that spreads to the other parts of the body.

Ovary hemorrhage may cause pain in ovaries

When a woman experience mild to moderate pain in ovaries, it may be because of a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst. The mere term hemorrhage can cause quite a scare but with hemorrhagic ovarian cyst, you can relax as this condition can dissolve on its own without medical intervention. Complications caused by this kind of cyst are also rare. This condition happens when a cyst is formed inside the ovary but it tends to bleed inside of the cyst instead of bleeding outside. Pain in right ovary is the first symptom of this condition but some women have pain in left ovary instead.

Another factor that may cause mild to moderate pain in ovaries is ruptured ovarian cyst. The term rupture may cause alarm but again you shouldn’t be. Again, this normally happens to every menstruating woman. Often a pain medication is enough to handle the pain. Severe cases will call for laparoscopy but most of the time – the doctor will just recommend the use of birth control pills. What makes the pain much worse is the hormonal changes thus the use of birth control pills to regulate hormone.

Ovary torsion can cause excruciating pain in ovaries

Severe or sharp pain in ovaries on the other hand may be caused by ovarian torsion. The pain for ruptured or hemorrhagic ovarian cyst normally feels dull. With ovarian torsion however, the pain is severe and sharp. Ovarian torsion is also known as the twisting of the ovaries. The reason behind the twisting is a large ovarian cyst. It has the tendency to twist the ovary. The tension in this case can cut off circulation which can be dangerous. When this happens, immediate medical intervention is needed.

When dealing with pain in ovaries, consulting a physician or your OB-Gynecologist is best. Early detection of medical conditions in the ovary helps you battle any type of disease you may be experiencing. The doctor will be performing pelvic examination and sometimes ask you to undergo ultrasound to determine how severe the case is. If it’s a cyst that’s causing pain, an ultrasound will give you and your doctor an idea on how big it is. It’s also best to go for annual check-up even though you are not feeling any pain in ovaries.