Ovulation pain or ‘mittelschmerz’ may occur on one side or on both sides. Know what are the implications of ovulation pain on both sides in this article.
Every month, human ovaries produce several follicles when stimulated by menstrual hormones. Of these, only one grows to maturity and is released by its follicle in the form of an egg or ovum. The act of releasing a mature egg from a follicle is termed as ovulation. The act of ovulation may or may not be accompanied with slight pain. Every month, one of the two ovaries releases a mature egg. Usually, the two ovaries alternate this task amongst themselves. However, it is very much possible for one ovary to release eggs subsequently, until the second one takes over. In rare circumstances, both ovaries may simultaneously release mature eggs. This may trigger ovulation pain on both sides.
Causes of Pain During Ovulation on Both Sides
When the follicle ripens, the egg bursts from its covering. This act is likely to induce a sharp, pinching feeling in the abdominal area. After an egg is released, it begins its journey downwards toward the uterus. To aid the egg in its journey, the fallopian tubes contract and expand rhythmically. This, movement induces a cramping like sensation in the abdominal area. As mentioned above, every month one ovary releases a mature egg. Thus, a woman is likely to experience ovulation pain only on one side of abdomen. This is mostly the side on which the ovulating ovary is located.
However, as the pain is often dull in nature, a woman cannot point to exact location where pain originates. Thus, she is most likely to experience pain at one side or on both sides. If you experience sharp stabbing pain on both sides, then you might have ovulated from both your ovaries. In this case, if both the eggs fertilize, then you might get pregnant with fraternal twins. In very rare circumstances, one ovary may release one egg and the other may release two eggs. In this case, you may get pregnant with triplets!
Can You Feel Ovulation Pain on Both Sides
As mentioned above, light thudding pain on both sides can be experienced even if you are only ovulating from one ovary. You may experience this pain for as little as a few minutes to as long as a couple of days. On an average, women experience painful ovulation for about 6 to 8 hours. The pain is usually bearable and does not have any serious implications. The incidence of ovulation pain is pretty common, with about 1 in every 5 women experiencing it. However, the pain may be of varying degree, in different women. Besides, the location of pain may also vary woman to woman.
Ovulation pain may occur just before ovulation, during it or after it. Due to this uncertainty, it is not considered as a primary sign of indicating fertile period. As ovulation time is the peak fertility period in a woman’s cycle, it is important to have intercourse around this time, if you wish to conceive. However, if you only rely on ovulation pain as an indicator of ovulation, then you may miss a chance in case the pain arrives after ovulation. For this reason, other signs such as basal body temperature, consistency of cervical mucus are considered reliable. While ovulation time may vary for every woman according to the length and duration of her menstrual cycle, most women ovulate between 10th – 19th day of their cycle, with an ideal day being 13th or 14th in a 28 day cycle.
Ovulation pain can be eased with pain killers such as Tylenol, if pain becomes unbearable. However, if pain is accompanied with bleeding or other symptoms, then do not hesitate to call a doctor, for it could be something more severe.
