Mittelsmertz - OUCH!!!!

[Bomper]

I endured the most awful pain I can remember in a long time (akin to full on Labour!!) low down near my ovaries. It was like red hot needles stabbing into me and I felt nauseaous and nearly passed out!! A friend of mine is a Head nurse, and when I described to it her, she said it sounds like Mittelsmertz (ovulation pain) - has anyone else had this? It was bleeding awful - I have never had it before, so it came as a bit of a shock!!

I get mittelschmertz too. Normally on my right side (so not every month) and it feels like a muscle strain for a few hours.

This was really severe, thought it was something seriously wrong!! Has eased now, but hope it is not something that will become a regular occurance, am presently going to the doctors re: extremely heavy periods, had scans etc, so no cysts or anything nasty down there, but there has been a suggestion of hysterectomy!! But I am only 39 and that seems a bit extreme!!

I always get this confused with the German for guinea pig.

Endometriosis is a possibility; ovulation pain is not as severe.

Have you ever had any abdominal surgery (c-section)?. If so this should be mentioned to the gynae. If you haven't already been referred to a specialist you should be asap.

Keep pain diary of symptoms; this can give the gynae some clues.

You should be properly evaluated by a gynae regarding your very heavy periods (BTW endo can cause these as well). Scans will not detect it, its often diagnosed through a keyhole surgery op called a laparoscopy. If endo is there a hyst is not always the answer or even recommended in some cases.

It does sound rather severe for mittelschmertz (and rather unusual to suddenly get it so badly if you've never had it before). However, it can occasionally be a pretty severe pain - even bad enough to be mistaken for appendicitis. I get it and it is certainly painful, followed by uncomfortable and lasts for a couple of days. The only time it's ever been agony was when I attempted to have sex during this time... then it felt exactly the way you described - I thought I must have burst a cyst or something, it was absolutely awful.

Deep pain during sex can also be indicative of endometriosis.

I don't think it's endometriosis in my case, as I don't get heavy or painful periods, never had any trouble conceiving, and the only time I've had pain during sex was the one time it coincided with my mittelschmertz (which is definitely mittelschmertz, because it comes along with all the other signs of ovulation). Still, as mittelschmertz is thought to be caused by a little bleed into the tissue surrounding the ovary when the cyst containing the matured egg bursts open to release it into the fallopian tube (ie at the point of ovluation), I can see why it might feel a bit like endometriosis can feel, but for a much shorter period of time and not causing any long-term damage.

I agree, though, that intense pain and heavy periods could well signal endometriosis.