My Experience with Mittelchmschmerz Pain

Mittelchmerz pain was somewhat of a mystery for me for many years of my post pubescent life. As far as I knew, it had to be this sudden sharp pain on either the left or right side of my lower abdomen. Well, at least that's what they teach you in school. Since I never experienced this type of pain, I never had Mittelchmerz pain or so I thought.

It wasn't until I was chatting online with some other women that I realized I was so wrong. I felt silly because I thought I knew about these female things. She told me that ovulation pain can feel like a dull ache in the center lower abdomen, in the same vicinity of where I experienced normal PMS type cramping.

After the news of that sunk in, I started to feel even more embarrassed. That's because I remembered years ago I went to see the doctor about what I thought were worrisome cramping. This cramping was happening outside of the week before my period. I just knew that something had to be really wrong with me. Could it be fibroids, a tumor, endometriosis? It couldn't have been ovulation because there was no sudden sharp ache on my right or left side.

The doctor did a pelvic exam and palpation of my abdomen. She didn't find anything of concern. So after that, she sent me for an ultrasound and bloodwork. No abnormalities there. Those extra invasive (and costly!) procedures could have been avoided if she simply had me keep track of when the pains were happening in relation to my cycle. She didn't even bring up the possibility that normal ovulation could be the cause. My own ignorance and the doctor's hastiness were the cause of a waste of much time and money!

Now that I'm in my 30's, I am much more cognizant of my ovulation pains as they have worsened as I've aged. I don't have them every month, but when it comes, I know exactly what it is with no cause for concern. It tends to last about 6-8 hours out of the day. The pain (discomfort is a better word) makes it uncomfortable to sit at my computer for very long. Sitting semi-upright on the couch is more comfortable. Doing activities that require standing in one position (i.e. washing dishes) is more painful than moving around. I just try to take it easy for the time being and put off more strenuous work for later. Taking medication for it isn't necessary.

Being able to differentiate between normal aches and pains and potentially problematic ones is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding the female reproductive cycle. If a woman really wants to be in the know about the goings on of her monthly cycles, she needs to read Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Tony Weschler. The knowledge it contains completely changed my outlook on all the monthly happenings in my body.