Every fifth woman suffers painful ovulation, and the vast majority prefers to suffer in silence. Unlike dysmenorrhea, this pain is not discussed.
For some time now, dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation, ceased to be a taboo theme. The problem and the solutions have been widely discussed in the media. Ovulation pain, experienced by every fifth woman, is not discussed. Meanwhile, it causes not only physical, but also strong emotional suffering.
Doctors call this disorder Mittelschmerz (from German – middle pain). It can last up to 48 hours and cause such severe pain, due to which a woman cannot work. In case of chronic ovulation pain, experts observe personality changes in women that may lead to ruining stable relationships and even divorce.
Noteworthy, doctors cannot figure out until now what causes this mysterious Mittelschmerz. There is a theory that ovary walls are torn during ovulation causing slow-healing wounds. Other experts believe that the disorder is caused by irritation inside the peritoneal surface during ovulation, which occurs when the blood or other fluid gets in there after the ovarian follicle injury.
Ovulation pain differs from dysmenorrhea, it usually occurs in the middle of the cycle (that is why it is called middle pain), approximately on the 14th day. Many women suffer from these pains for years without an accurate diagnosis, and some are misdiagnosed with appendicitis. Fortunately, ovulation pain does not affect fertility, but the sufferers constantly have to take strong painkillers. Alas, there is no way to get rid of this disorder completely yet.
