Mittelschmerz: Love it or Hate It
I remember the first time I felt mittelschmerz, although I didn't know it had a name. I had a sudden intense pain on my lower left side, it felt how I imagine a knife in my gut would feel. It made me gasp and it took a few minutes in order to stand up straight. The intensity died off, but the lingering cramps lasted for a while. I am not the kind of person to run to the doctor for every little thing, so I didn't worry about it until the next month. I had a similar experience, only on the opposite side. I was a bit concerned and mentioned it to my mother. She wasn't sure there was anything to worry about, but noted that some women did experience pain when ovulating.
I began tracking the pain on my calender along with the first day of my period and soon I was confident that was what I was experiencing. It wasn't until I was an adult and wandering around online that I came to learn that mid-cycle pain is known as mittelschmerz.
As a teen and young adult the pain was only mildly inconvenient. I did like knowing that my body was functioning normally and it did make it easier to predict my monthly period, which can be advantageous. When I felt it each month I sat down for about 15 minutes until the worst of it eased, and then went about my business despite the lingering discomfort. As a newly-wed trying to get pregnant for the first time it suddenly became my best friend! I had a instantaneous, free method for knowing if the timing was right without having to rely on ovulation tests or charting. It wasn't long before I had pregnancy aches and pains to worry about instead.
After my daughter was born and my periods returned the mittelschmerz was mysteriously gone. Occasionally I suspect a little twinge here or there may be it, but it is nothing spectacular like my previous experiences. While it is nice not to have to worry about extra pain every month, I will admit I am a little mystified by my body's rhythms now. It would be reassuring to be able to chart and predict my cycles with the certainty that the mittelschmerz previously gave me.
Published by Kathryn Robles
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