What to Do About Ovulation Pain

Do you ever get a cramping, pinching or aching pain in your lower abdomen when you’re nowhere close to your period?

That could be ovulation pain— otherwise known as “mittelschmerz.”

Ovulation occurs at some point in the middle of your cycle, when an egg is released from the ovary. This creates a small inflammatory process, which can sometimes cause pain around the time an egg is released, and the pain can last from a couple minutes to a couple days. 

So, is it normal?

Well, it is pretty common— but as we know, “common” does not mean optimal!

If ovulation pain is lasting beyond a brief pinch or pain and is interfering with your life, there’s likely a deeper issue.

Let’s look at what’s going on hormonally:

The first half of our cycle, from menstruation to ovulation, is dominated by estrogen, which is needed for cell growth, maturing our follicles, and allowing ovulation to happen.

Estrogen peaks right before ovulation, stimulating luteinizing hormone (LH) which triggers ovulation.

Ovulation occurs when a mature egg bursts through the ovary and travels down the egg tube to the uterus. After ovulation, the sac the egg came from (corpus luteum) will produce progesterone, the dominant hormone of the second half of the cycle.

While progesterone should be the dominant hormone after ovulation, many women experience estrogen dominance. 

This is when either estrogen is held in excess in the body, OR, when progesterone production is low.

Some factors that contribute to estrogen dominance include:

• Blood sugar dysregulation

• Diets high in plant estrogen or seed oils

• Skipping meals/ under nourishment

• Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (in makeup, menstrual products, plastic, body care, cleaning products etc)

• Gut dysbiosis, and liver stagnation

So what does this have to do with ovulation pain? 

Excess estrogen increases prostaglandins, hormone-like inflammatory chemicals that are necessary to make the uterus contract on our period, as well as the rupture of the follicle during ovulation. 

While these are necessary for the contraction of smooth muscle and help the ovulation and menstrual process, too much prostaglandins can cause cramping and pain -- one of the same sources of pain during menstruation.

Here are some tips for getting to the root of painful ovulation:

• support blood sugar balance by eating every 3-4 hours and getting protein, fats and carbs with each meal

• address sources of inflammation, like removing seed oils and tending to the gut

• incorporate foods that can bind to excess estrogen, like raw carrot salad daily

• practice hands-on womb massage and castor oil packs to relieve adhesions and support blood flow to the ovaries – physically working our tissues is central to lymph, blood and nerve flow

• Incorporate womb steaming into your cycle care, which can increase oxygenation and circulation to the pelvic bowl, relieve pain and adhesions.

Download my free guide to sovereign womb steaming here!