Ovary Pain Is a Sign Of DANGER

All women feel discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen below the navel from time to time, for instance, before or during menstruation. There may be many causes to the ovary pain but noting certain features will help the doctor to diagnose it correctly.

Ovary pain can be a one-time incident or a chronic problem that could indicate a serious underlying problem like cysts, ectopic pregnancy, or cancer. Most women experience a sharp pain on one side of their ovaries during ovulation. This pain is often short lived and occurs during mid-cycle. It usually requires no medical intervention, although some women need to take an over-the-counter pain reliever. A more serious form of ovulation pain is known as dysmenorrhea. It occurs during menstruation and may require a prescription pain relief medication or hormones to help control it.

A pain in the pelvic area of sudden onset could be a sign of infection in and around the ovaries. A previous STD infection can result in the onset of pelvic inflammatory disease resulting in sores on the ovaries often leading to infertility.

Ovarian cysts can also cause mid-cycle pain. They are usually a consequence of a small glitch in the normal process of ovulation. At times, the egg fails to break out of the follicle and instead the follicle fills with fluid resulting in a cyst. Or sometimes a blood vessel in the follicle may rupture causing the follicle to fill up with blood, forming a hemorrhagic cyst. Other types of cysts are classified as functional cysts, endometriomas, cystadenomas, dermoid cysts, and polycystic ovarian cysts. Most of them are harmless like the functional and dermoid cysts. Others may cause symptoms like acne, weight problems, and fertility issues.

Like in any other part of the body tumors can form in the ovaries too and can be either benign or malignant. Pain in the ovary may be due to these tumors and if discovered they need to be diagnosed and treated medically or surgically.

In pregnant women, any pain in the lower abdominal or pelvic region, ovaries, or vaginal area should be reported to a physician immediately, as it could be a sign of ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, uterine fibroids, or septic abortion.

A lesser known cause of ovarian pain could be vitamin K deficiency due to long-term use of anticoagulants. 

In rare cases a small piece of the ovary may accidentally be left behind during a surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries. The remnant can grow and develop painful cysts.