Health & Wellness

Q&A: Is it normal for your ovaries to hurt before and during your period?

Sometimes girls and women will get pain in one ovary or the other during ovulation which happens about half way between your periods. Mittelschmerz (the name of that pain) happens when a mature follicle (egg) is released from the ovary. It is less common to get ovary pain at period time. It is hard to distinguish the location of discomfort during menstruation, but most times complaints involve the area in the middle above the pelvic bone, the upper thighs/groin area and lower back. If you are having specific pain in the ovaries during this time, if it is a change from your usual discomfort, or if it keeps you from doing the things you usually do, make an appointment to see your health care provider to talk about your symptoms.

Does the pain occur on one side or both sides? If it's just on one side, you could be experiencing Mittelschmerz. (Isn't that a great word?) Basically, that's just a fancy name for ovulation pain. Some women don't have any discomfort when ovulating, but others experience some pain. You can deal with ovulation pain just like you would deal with cramps. If it's causing you severe pain, however, you should talk to your healthcare provider.

I’m not really sure if that is normal to be honest because I’ve never had it happen to me personally. But I think you should check out health expert Sandy’s answer to this one. If it continues to happen, you should probably talk with your healthcare professional about it.