The ovaries (Ovariae, Einzahl Ovar) are the paired female sexual organs, which are not visible from the outside but hidden inside the woman. In the ovary, the egg cell matures, which is then transferred to the fallopian tube (tuba uterina) to fuse with the sperm of the man. If pregnancy occurs, the ovary may be in pain. The pain is not felt in the ovary itself, but rather projected onto a so-called head zone. This means that although the woman has pain in the ovary as a result of the pregnancy, it is more likely to be felt in the groin or lower abdomen.
Cause
There are many reasons why pain can occur in the ovary during pregnancy. The location of the pain is also slightly different for each patient. Some patients only feel the pain in the ovary where the pregnancy took place.
Therefore, pain can occur during pregnancy in the right ovary if the right ovary has also produced the egg, which fuses with the sperm or vice versa. Rarely do women have pain on both sides of the ovaries during pregnancy. In addition to the location of the pain, the intensity of the pain is also often different.
It is quite normal that at the beginning of a pregnancy there is a slight pain in the area of the ovaries. Other women, on the other hand, have such severe pain that they find it difficult to walk upright and go about their daily lives. The reason for the different perception of pain is still a controversial topic.
However, it is important to know that slight pain in the ovary during pregnancy, whether on the right, left or both sides, is quite normal and does not mean that a loss of pregnancy (abortion) or an ectopic pregnancy has occurred. The body must first get used to the new circumstances and initially reacts with a variety of symptoms. Particularly at the beginning of a pregnancy, many women suffer from pain in the ovary, while others do not notice the pregnancy at all for a very long time because they show no symptoms at all.
In most cases, the pain is due to nerve irritation, as the body is not used to a small life growing inside it. However, if the pain gets worse or becomes more frequent, the patient should consult a gynaecologist (gynaecologist) for professional advice. In rare cases, it is possible that the pregnancy does not progress properly and the body reacts with pain.
There are various causes for this, which are rare, but also possible, and which then sometimes cause severe pain in the area of the ovary during pregnancy, although here too it usually occurs on the right or left and only very rarely on both sides. On the one hand, it is possible that the cause of the pain is that the patient has an ectopic pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg fuses with the sperm in the fallopian tube and then does not migrate through the fallopian tube (tuba uterina) towards the uterus but begins to nestle in the fallopian tube.
However, since the fallopian tube is not intended for the implantation of the egg, the growth of the two fused cells causes the fallopian tube to become inflamed, causing the woman to experience enormous pain in the area of the ovary or fallopian tube, which projects into the abdomen. If a right ectopic pregnancy occurs, the pain in the area of the ovary occurs on the right, if the left fallopian tube is affected, the pain occurs on the left. Here too, it is typical that the pain occurs at the beginning of the pregnancy.
In extremely rare cases, the cause of pain during pregnancy in the ovary can also be a so-called ectopic pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg is fertilized by a sperm and instead of migrating into the fallopian tube, it reaches the abdomen. Such an ectopic pregnancy is usually noticed very early and leads to severe pain in the ovary during pregnancy, sometimes on both sides.
However, it is important to know that this is very rare and that the pain in the ovary during pregnancy is often also psychosomatic.Many women have intestinal problems due to fear of losing a child, which then cause the woman to feel the pain in the abdominal area (since intestinal loops are localized here) and misinterpret this as pain in the ovary on both sides. It is therefore important to take the pain in the ovary or abdomen seriously during pregnancy, but also to accept that no pregnancy is always asymptomatic. Pain and discomfort during pregnancy should always be taken seriously and examined by a specialist in gynaecology (gynaecologist).
Nevertheless, they are also part of pregnancy and should not be overestimated, otherwise one can suffer many psychosomatic problems during pregnancy. It is also important to know that pain in the ovary does not automatically mean a pregnancy. So-called ovarian cysts, i.e. cysts on the ovary, can also lead to severe pain in the ovary.
The pain usually occurs only on the side where the cyst is located. If a woman suffers from an ovarian cyst in the right ovary, pain may also occur on the right side and vice versa. Whether the pain in the ovary is due to a pregnancy or a cyst can only be assessed by a doctor using imaging (usually ultrasound, i.e. sonography).