# Ovarian Pain



## Guest

Hello - I am newly registered and was wondering if anyone else experiences the same IBS symptoms. Until last week, when I visted my Gyn, I was SURE that I had an ovarian cyst. For the last several months, I have had sometimes intense, sometimes dull (but constant) pain in the area of my left ovary, also nausea. My bimanual was normal, and the gyn suggested my colon may be causing the problem. I thought he was nuts; I know where my ovary is and where the pain is! But after reading up on IBS on the net, I think he may be right. I have an ultra-sound scheduled to rule out gynecological causes for the pain. I have been off b/c pills for a year (pre-conception preparation). I have been under a lot of stress. Could this cause the sudden onset of IBS?


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## PooH

I am right now 33 weeks PG, and was off BC for a few months before I conceived, after I got off BC I felt ovarian pains each month that I ovulated, and it hurt pretty bad, and also developed a cyst on my right ovary, to which I had to go to ER for, the pain was incredible! So you may as well have a cyst or feel yourself ovulating each month now that you have been off the pill.


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## Guest

PooH - Thanks so much for your reply, and congratulations on your baby! How exciting!!I thought my pain was ovulatory also, but it is now there throughout the month, not just mid-cycle. I guess I'll have to wait to see if the ultra-sound shows anything. I'm really concerned about preserving my fertility. I will be 35 in November, and really wants kids, but my husband (and 9-year-old step-son) are not sold on the idea. I'm wondering if maybe I'm not really in the right situation (the six year marriage has been troubled). I'm sure the stress is contributing to my symptoms.Enough of the "downer" stuff! I wish wonderful blessings for your family and soon-to-be new arrival!


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## cloverleaf

suselirus~I have been off Depo-provera for 13 months and I started having ovarian pain eight months ago. I've had three ultrasounds, ordered by my ob-gyn, and they all have showed cysts. I've never had a cyst before, so "feeling" my ovaries is quite unusual for me. I thought they were going away, as 95% of them do on their own, but they were back again last week. Since I had IBS for six years before getting cysts, I don't know if IBS-like pain can come from cysts. I know that for me, my bowel habits change with my hormones, and that when my hormones change, the "pain" from my cysts changes, so maybe you do have cysts causing bowel problems. Your sigmoid colon runs right behind your left ovary, too, so maybe you are feeling pain as a result of that (especially if you are IBS-C). But I believe a woman knows her body, and if you feel like it's your ovary, then you are probably right. Also, ovarian cancer has few symptoms, but some women experience nausea, fullness in abdomen, constipation, and ovarian pain. The ultrasound can rule this out, since tumors look different than cysts.


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## PippylongStockings

Sis my doctor said that also, which is why I am switching doctors. She thinks I can't the different between stomach aches and female pain? I was very upset with this, she knew I had a history of female problems and did not even run an ultrasound.


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## linr

I am also feeling intense pain where the ovaries are. It only happens right before my period and lasts for days. My gyno says it is part of perimenopause. Don't know if I beleive that. I really feel like it must be cycsts or fibroids. Think I will look for another Dr. as this one doesn't seem to be too thorough and I can't beleive I have to deal with this pain every month and just live with it.Tylenol or other pain meds. don't help either. Between this pain and the IBS I never feel well.


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## Missycat

Add me to the list of women with severe ovarian cyst pain. But I absolutely can tell without a doubt the difference between IBS pain and the pain from my ovarian cysts. Any doctor who doesn't believe this is not doing his/her job properly, IMO.


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## HipJan

I can feel pain from ovarian cysts, even little ones that I'm not supposed to feel. Sometimes sharp, sometimes dull, sometimes burning; feels like a rock or a stick is down there and you have to get it out. Two-three years ago, the doc didn't believe me about my cyst theory, as she felt nothing amiss down there (cyst not quite big enough to feel). But turns out from ultrasounds that I have been correct about my cysts.


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## Sdove

Hello, Right now I am going through this same thing. It is frustrating. I have had kidney stones, IBS and such. My pain is in my lower left side and it feels like a rock. Sometimes at night if I turn on my side it wakes me up from pain. I know my IBS acts once in awhile usually right before my cycle each month but this is different. Have had this pain now off and on for over a month but mostly on. My doctor said he wasnt sure exactly but he wanted to send me to gyn to rule out anything else. I went to the gyn nurse and she said it could be my IBS but she wanted to do an ultrasound and maybe more things done too. I was glad she didnt just dismiss it but at the same time she was leaning very much on the IBS issue. I will know more Aug 8. Last year I had kidney stone really bad and some other pains and it left after they were taken care of and then later it came back so I am wondering if maybe cysts were there then too as well. Thanks for listening. I do think we know our bodies and the pains most of the time.snowdove


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## Guest

Thank you all so much for your responses! I'll guess I'll just have to wait until the 12th to see what the pelvic ultrasound shows. I'm really looking forward to holding 32oz of water in my bladder for over an hour!HipJan - Your response got me thinking that maybe my cyst(s) were just too small to feel during the bi-manual. I didn't feel very assured after the exam; my OB GYN was cracking his knuckles and yawning as I was talking. Have a great week everyone!


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## Sdove

suselirus I am with you there. I go in on the 8th and have to drink Water too and hold it. Wont that be fun..lolPolly


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## Homebound

Yep, I have polycystic ovaries, basically I have tons of cysts, and lots of pain. It was pretty bad a few weeks ago, not only did I have pain but swollen groin glands from all the drainage from them breaking (says my doctor anyway). I'm on the birth control pill right now to control the cysts. But yes I get a lot of pain, especially in my right ovary.Jennifer


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## cloverleaf

FYI for those of you who are going in for ultrasounds. Sometimes you can just have a transvaginal follow-up ultrasound, which means that you don't have to drink any water. Ask the ultrasonographer if they can do the follow-up with only a transvaginal ultrasound. My two follow-ups have been this way because my sensitive bladder causes IBS if I have too much urine.


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## kitty2

suselirus, did you find out the results of your ultrasound? Last year I had a dermoid tumor the size of my head on my ovary. I had no symptoms other than frequent urination and a little spotting the last few months - no pain. My IBS-D was just as bad after the tumor was removed as before so it didn't seem to make too much difference in my bowel.


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## Guest

kitty2 - Yes, I did get the results. Thanks for asking! I do have an ovarian cyst (2.8 cm), right where I originally thought I did - left side! The radiologist will be sending the results to my GYN. I have not heard from him yet. I guess I will probably just have to have another ultrasound in 6 weeks to see what it's doing. Hopefully, it will have gotten smaller - or gone away! So I guess I don't have IBS at all. How do you really know? My GYN had me thinking that since he did not feel a cyst, it must be my colon causing my pain. He was wrong! Wow, it's incredible that with a tumor that large you did not have any pain. How's everything going now?


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## kitty2

suselirus, I think the only way you will know if it is the cyst or not is if you still have symptoms after it is gone. I really thought my tumor was the culprit and not IBS - I was so disapointed when I still had IBS after it was removed. It really is amazing that I had no pain with something that big. What else is amazing is that I wore a size six (about the same size I where now) when I had the tumor and it somehow was tucked inside of me where my tummy was only about an inch bigger than it is now! I was swollen with gas all the time so I didn't suspect anything - I still get a large abdomen swollen with gas everyday even after the operation. By the way, a dermoid tumor is made of skin, hair, blood, teeth, bone, etc. - really gross. Doctors aren't sure what causes it but they think it's when an egg decides to start making a baby without a sperm! I really do want a baby but would like my husband to be involved - lol!







Everything seems fine now though I've been having trouble with my heart ever since I had a severe allergic reaction to a med after the operation. I guess if it's not one thing it's another.







It would be great if it's the cyst that is causing your intestinal problems and not IBS! I wish you the best of luck! Let us know how it goes.


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## DR

I have a pain on left lower abdomen with nausea. It first came when I got pregnant and they thought it was ectopic pregnancy but it wasn't.Then I thought it was baby pushing on my internal organs. After delivery pain stayed and got worse. I cannot lift things (like baby or taking out garbage) because pain gets really bad. It comes and goes but after lifting it stays all day long. I also experience this pain realy bad after and during intercourse with my husband. I had ultrasound and CT scan done and nothing is showing. Any ideas what can cause this? Anyone else had similar experience? Thanks for reply.


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## nursey

Yes put me down for having ovarian cysts also! I get severe pain sharp and unrelenting when I ovulate its starts as a collicky pain and I know if I don't take an anti inflammatory I'm in for it! I take 2 naprosyn right when that starts and that really helps! I really bloat out and my lower abdo feels rock hard (im sure this is the cysts)then for the next couple of days I get uterine cramps,I don't take anything as they are bearable,unlike the ovulation pain. My GP said some women form cysts instead of eggs and that is the pain and the body reabsorbs them as the cycle goes on and this does seem to happen.


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## HipJan

this is an OLD thread! since then, I've had a hysterectomy, and am doing lousy.but no more ovarian pain!


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## iCYbELLE

I have that pain too. First I thought it was muscular, then it grew so unbearable I thought it was my left ovary, but echographies showed no problem at all. I've been pre-diganosed IBS today. Talked to a friend of mine who knew a girl with IBS, once her colon got so inflamed it touched her ovaries, she had to be hospitalized. OK, I also know how cramps and ovarian pain feel, and I knew it wasn't that but I still had the doubt, that's why I underwent gyn examination. But what I can tell you is my left side (where the colon is) hurts more when I'm ovulating --and normally it's only once every two months, when it is my left ovary that's working--, and that the D/C episodes are also correlated to my period.Just make sure it's REALLY your ovary causing trouble. In my case, it wasn't.


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## AngelaSW

I get ovarian pain on the left and/or right side. Last November I had a pelvic and vaginal ultrasound done and they found a couple of cysts on each ovary. Boy, a few days ago (must have been during ovulation) I had stabbing pains on my left that made me jump out of my seat, ouch







I had to take some anti-inflammatory drugs to get rid of the pain. Ever since I started perimenopause, I have more trouble with those female organs of mine than I ever had before.







Most of the time I can tell the difference between IBS and ovarian pain.Greetings,Angela


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## Bathroomqueen

Hey I have the same pain, mostly in my left side! It does happen when I ovulate so maybe the normal cysts that form are a little bit bigger than normal or something, but I also did have some severe left side pain when I was 18 weeks pregnant. I went to the ER and had an ultrasound but nothing abnormal was found. I also had an ultrasound (to check for cysts) before I got pregnant and again, nothing was found.Since I have the pain at times other than ovulation, I suspect it does have something to do with my colon. Right now it's not too bad but if it gets worse, I will go see my gastro and see what he thinks.I had my baby on Jan 19th and am ovulating this week.. I forgot how much it hurts!!Gee, isn't it fun to be a woman?? Angie


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## peardrops

I can remember it all too well, the awful pain from my ovary. I was only in my early twenties when it first happened. I was rushed into hospital as they thought it was my appendix. I had so many tests before they eventually got the gynaecologist to examine me. He did an internal exam and I felt as though he squeezed my ovary, I almost hit the ceiling. He said I had a cystic ovary. Treatment was to come off the pill and have a baby!! Said it would soften the ovaries up. I did come off the pill and have a baby. I still got the pain after that but not as bad.That was many years ago. I have since had checks on my ovaries (vaginal ultrasound). Now I'm in my "senior years" and my ovaries are giving up, the pain is only very occasional. I certainly know the difference in the pain from IBS to that of ovarian pain.


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