“Every ovulation is essentially a ruptured cyst,” Dr Ginsburg said. Ultrasounds have shown that ovulation coincides with a small explosion of fluid and sometimes blood on the surface of the ovary, Dr Ginsburg said. Because ovulation takes place in either one of the two ovaries, those who feel the pain will notice that it occurs on alternating sides from one cycle to the next.
“My patients mostly have infertility and are trying to get pregnant, so they’re kind of reassured when they feel this pain”, which is often an indication of their highest chance in a cycle to become pregnant, Dr Ginsburg said.
It’s not clear which exact part of the ovulation process might cause pain. One study from 1980, which measured hormone levels and follicle size, found that women reported pain before the egg had emerged, suggesting that the pain might be a “pre-ovulatory event”. One explanation is that the expansion of the follicle can lead to some cramping, Dr Ginsburg said.
There are two other potential culprits, said Dr Aparna Sridhar, an OB-GYN at UCLA Health: Luteinising hormone, called LH, which triggers follicle rupture, and prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that spur muscle contractions (and thus, sometimes pain), including in surrounding muscles like the bowels. The surge in LH invites a surge in prostaglandins, she said.
Teenagers who have just started menstruating, for example, tend not to feel ovulatory pain, Dr Sridhar said. That’s most likely because, though their follicles expand, they don’t ovulate at that point in their lives and therefore, don’t have high levels of LH or prostaglandins.
Source: CNA
