Excruciating pain during exercise during ovulation.

It could be cysts (which seems likely since it follows a pattern with your cycle and cysts respond/change due to hormones), or some other things. The first ones that come to my mind would be a couple pain disorders to do specifically with the vagina: Vaginismus comes to mind most readily. It can be associated with penatration (coitus or even putting in a tampon or other object) but can also come on during activity or in some cases it can be constant.
You should definately make an appointment at your Gyn's office. It can also be a sign of some sort of infection, but that would seem odd since you know it follows a pattern.


To my knowledge (although I’m no expert…just an owner of a vagina =D ) you shouldn’t be ovulating for a whole week. I think you *can get pregnant during 5-7 around when you ovulate but part of that is due to the fact that sperm can live anywhere from 3-5 days. Anyway, the point is that you really should only feel ovulation pain for 1-3/maybe 4 days.
I hope you figure out what it is though and feel better!

Quirkygirl I found your post after googling for exercise pain when ovulating. This is something I have suffered from for years and years and have never managed to have diagnosed despite going to a Gyno etc and having ultrasounds. The Gyno originally told me that she thought it might be endometriosis and she planned to perform a surgery on me to look for signs of this and remove it (without any real proof that it was the issue). It was going to cost a fortune cause she was a private gyno - I went through the public system (here in Oz) which is free of charge but takes a bit longer.

I got a second opinion from a guy who told me that if I went on the pill for three months and my symptoms subside that would prove it's not due to endometriosis. Of course he was proved correct. I could choose to go on the pill (which prevents ovulation) but I hate being on the pill. I just have to manage my exercising and make sure that in the three-four days before I ovulate I don't do anything 'too' intense. I can still do weights classes, yoga, walking etc but nothing too extreme like as you say running or anything where my heart rate gets up quite high.

I'm the same as you, it starts with a sensation of a niggling little pain then it builds up in waves to quite an intense pain, I feel faint, bowel pressure, slightly nauseas and break out in a cold sweat. The only solution is to literally lie on the ground and focus on my breathing until the pain slowly subsides - again in waves very like contractions.

If you find a solution I'd love to hear what they say. My trainer suggested there was perhaps a correlation between the hormones flooding into my body and lactic acid? Who knows - all I know is it hurts like hell.

I have this EXACT same problem!!! Totally debilitating pain 30 minutes into my workout on the days surrounding ovulation. Especially brought on by running, but the elliptical or even the bike does it too. The pain is excruciating, like I imagine labor cramps would be, comes in waves, with nausea and bowel pressure.
And my gynecologist was absolutely no help whatsoever.
She acted like I was making it up and insisted that no kind of "female" pain would be or could be brought on by exercise. She did eventually discover I had a cyst but seemed to think it was a normal ovulatory cyst.
If anyone has any solutions, I'd love to hear them.

I sometimes experience something similar, but it doesn't seem to matter where I am in my cycle. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've had it happen about 10 mintues into running and/or Insanity workouts. I always did a 5-minute warmup, but I've noticed that I can prevent it from happening if I add an additional 5-10 minutes of warmup time before starting heavy cardio.

Check with a doctor, but if you have no other medical explanation, I've been told it could simply be a blood flow issue if you haven't given your body a chance to warm up properly.

Thank you for posting this!! I felt like I was crazy on Monday when I had to walk out of my spin class (one that I do 3-4x/week without problem) and lay on the floor in the locker room because I felt like my insides were in a knot! I walked back and forth to the bathroom because I had intense bowel pressure, but nothing. I felt nauseous, clammy and basically, like death. I did correlate and it was day 13 of my cycle, right at the start of the ovulation phase. I do think it is hormonal, and now I know to avoid cardio aroundthis poibt in my cycle! I do have my yearly gyn appt next week and will check with my doc to make sure it isn’t something more serious- but I appreciate your post, quirkygirl! Oh the blessings of womanhood!!

PlunderBunneh wrote: »

Some of us ladies are unfortunate enough to have painful ovulation. It's called Mittelschmerz, and it sucks. I have these cramping, contraction-like pains every month, and I can even tell you which ovary is on duty, because it swaps sides, every month. I can't stand up, and on the worser months, I've been known to curl up in a ball with a heating pad for hours. These pains hurt more than menstruating cramps for me, but they are normal (at least for me).
It wouldn't hurt to call up your doc, since this is a new issue for you (I've been experiencing it since my c-section almost 3 years ago), and it never hurts to be sure.

I was diagnosed with Mittelschmerz when I was 14. I don't experience it every month, and mine is is no worse than my regular menstrual cramps, but when I am experiencing it I typically don't move around as much because I find that irritates my already irritated fallopian tube. I'd see a gyno about this just to make sure it's not something more serious like ovarian cysts, and take it easy on your body. Ovulating and menstruating aren't easy tasks.

I am perimenipausal and cycle every other month. I think only my right ovary “works” and I have pain on that side always. I think I have a cyst and yes - it definitely makes my workouts suffer. Some days I can’t run because the bouncing around makes it worse. I can’t do some movements at CrossFit for the same reason. I am seeing my gyno for a checkup but I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to just grin and bear it as I won’t be a candidate for surgery (and wouldn’t want surgery anyway unless it was a dire case). I literally feel your pain, but see your doc for a checkup and just do what you can in terms of exercising.

sarahcartwright6044 wrote: »

Hi Ladies.
I noticed these posts are super old and hoping by now someone has found an answer to this because this is the first thread I have read with the SAME symptoms as me.
I cannot run or go to a spin class or do high intense exercise after day 14 of my cycle. I go into INSANE pain.
I can kind of control it now. For example i can go intense HIIT workout for 5minute and then break/slow down and then go again.
Or sprints and then walk back but i cannot just run flat out for half an hour or ill get the pain anywhere from 10min to 40min. Same as you girls. I get dizzy,feel like being sick, bowl movements, i also haven't had a baby but it feels like on and off contractions! Its worse then period pain. It lasts for 20min and then goes away like nothing happened.
The other day i did an intense workout, felt it coming on, stopped and it was very mild for 10minutes so i managed to stop it.
The only time i dont get it is when im on the pill. My doctor also said it was Mittelschmerz
But when i read up on it, i just sounds like normal ovulation pain you get sometimes.
Not this type of pain, this is different. Ive also been diagnosed with cysts on my ovaries but not the PCOS syndrome just the cysts.
I explain to doctors but they just tell me to take panadol before excercise.
SURELY there is a solution to this!!
Now i do pilates and my own excercise at home to control this but I need to know answers. Anyone?

@saracartwright6044 - this thread is really old, so there is no guarantee these folks are still active in the community.

I don't have PCOS - I have endometriosis, which is apparently less severe (pain-wise) than PCOS. Still, sometimes the pain in my abdomen associated with ovulation and my period is enough to knock out a bear. As I have gotten healthier, and chosen a less greasy diet for myself (and forced myself to exercise even when I don't want to deal with working through the pain*), the pain has lessened. Its still there, but manageable. And I've noted that when I let my diet and exercise routine slip, the pain worsens... so it's great motivation to stay healthy (which I haven't been doing very well lately).

*I am not advocating that you workout when you are in pain. But *for me* working out helps to lessen the pain. Obviously, listen to your body and treat yourself with care. Continue to go back to the doctor or find a new one if you're not getting the answers you need. When I first started seeing doctors for the pain I was experiencing, I was asked if I wanted to see a psychiatrist, since they couldn't find a physical reason for my complaints with ultrasound. I thought I was crazy until years later when I was getting my tubes tied, and my OB actually took pictures of the endometriosis during the procedure. Apparently it was a pretty bad case, as he woke me up from anesthesia all excited to show me the photos.

I hope you get the answers you're looking for. :flowerforyou:

Hello!!
Thankyou for replying, this means so much to know someone else is going through the same thing as me!! I went to another dctor last week and im going to get blood tests and ultra sounds and she thinks it might be endometriosis. Ill also be checked as well.
Just wondering after your exploratory lap did they find endo?
Its so frustrating because in such a healthy/physical person.
Thanks

onequirkygirl wrote: »

Disclaimer: Unless you are the owner of a vagina, the following information will benefit you in no way.

As a person who trains owners of vags, I find great benefit in learning not only anatomy but how the body functions and reacts to every aspect of life.

Please forgive me for reading the thread and out of respect to you posting the thread I will refrain from spouting the data I've learned that you feel won't benefit you or others. Hope you get helpful answers .