whoa! is this mittelschmerz?

[Elphaba]

i don't believe i have ever noticed ovulation pain before, maybe i never had it, maybe i just didn't know, but today i got a sharp pain on my left side, but it's too low to be a stomach pain, even though that's what i suspected initially. so of course i overindulged at dinner trying to make the pain stop.
but it's still going. about 5-6 hours now.

i figured you ladies would be able to tell me more about ovulation pain, how long it lasts, etc.

so fill me in! i'm new to this. when will it stop? and why am i ovulating now, when i get a visit from my husband??? we are NOT TTC! too bad i can't give my egg to someone who wants it.

[stafl]

If you have never noticed ovulation pain before, and since it's on the left side, I would suspect it's intestinal in nature. Gas, maybe?
But it could always be a cyst, or even something totally unrelated to either ovulation or your intestines.
If the pain doesn't go away, ask your doctor about it.

For women who do feel ovulation pain, it's different for each one of us.
For me, since mine is endo-related, I get an inflamed sort of pain from time of O until AF arrives, and then a whole different kind of cramping pain starts. When it's a cyst, I can feel a hard lump right where the pain is coming from, and the pain is very localized, sharp and stabbing, like a very thin red hot poker stuck through me. When it's intestinal, well, you'll know it...

[Elphaba]

it definitely wasn't gas. i figure it was O pain because of all the accompanying fertile-quality cervical fluid. and it was gone about an hour after i posted! it's been a LONG time since i've ovulated, shosh is 20 months old, so it's been since january 2001, and if there was O pain, i don't think i could remember that far back.

thanks for the input!

[NWmama]

Well, as far as I can remember, ovulation pain usually lasts a few hours (2 to 6) but up to 24 hours wouldn't be too unusual. I thought I had ovulation pains two months ago, but then I haven't had ppaf yet so maybe not? It's so hard to tell while nursing!

Sorry I'm not more help!

[LizD]

I have heard all kinds of descriptions of ovulation pain/awareness, from period-type back pain to a popping feeling. A planned parenthood LPN I know insists abdominal pain on one side or the other is always intestinal, but I think she is given to overconfident generalizations.