Usually imperceptible to most women, ovulation can cause discomfort or even pain in some. However, this pain during ovulation is not alarming and has no effect on fertility.

As a reminder, the ovarian cycle is divided into three phases:

• the follicular phase : under the effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), several ovarian follicles enter into maturation, but only one will complete its development (the “dominant” follicle). As the follicles grow, the secretion of estrogen increases and causes the massive release of another hormone, the luteinizing hormone (LH);
• ovulation : under the effect of this LH surge, the tension of the liquid within the follicle increases. The follicle ends up breaking and releases the oocyte which is immediately sucked by the fringes of the horn of the proboscis;
• luteal phase (or post-ovulatory phase): if the oocyte is fertilized by a sperm, it will normally implant itself in the uterine lining and a pregnancy will set in. If it is not fertilized, the sudden drop in hormones causes small hemorrhages in the uterine lining which, under the effect of hormones, had thickened to accommodate a possible egg. These are the rules.

On an average 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs on the 14th day of the cycle (14 days after the start of menstruation). The luteal phase lasts on average 14 days, on a shorter cycle ovulation will occur earlier (for example on the 10th day of a 24-day cycle) and later on a longer cycle (on the 21st day of a cycle of 35 days for example).

While menstruation causes discomfort or even real pain for many women, ovulation is an internal phenomenon that generally remains imperceptible.

However, some women may experience some tension or even pain during ovulation. This pain will most often be found on one side only, that of the ovary where ovulation takes place. It may be accompanied by some bleeding and may last from a few hours to one or two days.

This pain is usually not serious. On the other hand, if it is an acute, sharp pain, it is advisable to consult quickly in order to rule out a gynecological complication requiring rapid management (ectopic pregnancy, ovarian torsion, rupture of an ovarian cyst. …).

It is assumed that ovulatory pain is due to the very physiological phenomenon of this ovulation: the tension of the ovarian follicle fluid which increases and ends up causing the rupture of the follicle and the expulsion of the oocyte. During this labor, the ovary also increases in size, which can cause a certain tension in one side of the lower abdomen. Sometimes, the rupture of the follicle is sudden and causes the rupture of a small blood vessel causing weak bleeding and an inflammatory phenomenon, a potential source of pain.

In some women, ovulation signals the onset of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). This is a set of physical (abdominal pain, fatigue, sensitive and swollen breasts, headaches, etc.) and psychological signs (irritability, depression, etc.) that occur regularly during the period before menstruation and end with their onset. . PMS can last a few days to two weeks, in which case it will start with ovulation.

If the pain is severe, it is possible to take an analgesic or an antispasmodic.

If ovulatory pain and / or pre-menstrual symptoms are disabling on a daily basis, and of course outside of any pregnancy plan, oral contraception is an alternative. Because its principle is to block ovulation with the help of hormones, progestogen-type contraception generally makes it possible to put an end to ovulatory pain and to limit the manifestations of pre-menstrual syndrome.