Diagnosis
The diagnosis of pain in the left ovary usually involves several steps. Above all, the detailed doctor-patient consultation (anamnesis) plays a decisive role. By precisely describing the existing symptoms, the treating physician can often already narrow down the cause of the pain.
The physician will also ask about changes in the discharge including smell, quantity and color. Following the doctor-patient consultation, an orienting physical examination is usually performed. During this examination, not only the female genitals but also the abdomen should be tested.
Women who have an inflammation on the left ovary or an ovarian cyst, the abdominal cavity is clearly tense. In addition, pain on the left ovary can be increased by direct pressure on the left groin. Irrespective of whether the treating physician assumes a gynaecological or abdominal cause for the pain on the left ovary, an ultrasound examination should be performed after the physical examination.
During this examination, both inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity and a variety of gynecological diseases can be detected. In some cases, it is also useful to supplement the diagnosis with additional examination methods. Inflammatory processes can often be excluded by a blood test.
In the presence of an inflammation leading to pain in the left ovary, the specific inflammation values typically increase. Above all, an acute increase in white blood cells (leukocytes) and C-reactive protein (CRP) can indicate inflammatory processes. There can be a variety of causes for the development of pain in the left ovary.
For this reason, typical accompanying symptoms can help to narrow down the possible causes and thus facilitate diagnosis. For many of the diseases that can cause pain in the left ovary, changes in the natural discharge can be observed. Particularly in the case of infections of the female reproductive organs, the discharge is frequently altered.
Especially patients suffering from inflammation in the area of the ovaries often notice a change in the outflow before the pain occurs. Since in the case of ovarian inflammation, bacterial pathogens enter the fallopian tubes via the vagina and uterus, the body tries to “flush out” the germs by stimulating the production of secretions. In this disease, the discharge can look thin or foamy.
