Pain in the right ovary

Introduction

Pain in the area of the ovaries is frequent. Many women are familiar with the symptoms during their monthly menstrual period or during ovulation. However, ovarian pain can also have other causes or be misinterpreted as ovarian pain, even though the symptoms actually have a different origin.

If the pain is persistent or very severe, a doctor should always be consulted. The right ovary can be painful for various reasons. Sometimes, it is not the ovary that causes the pain, but an adjacent organ, such as the appendix.

When ovulation occurs, a mature egg cell leaves the ovary approximately in the middle of the female cycle. The follicle pops up and the egg is released into the fallopian tube, through which it travels to the uterus. If it meets live sperm there, it is fertilized and nests in the lining of the uterus: pregnancy begins.

If it is not fertilized, it leaves during menstruation together with the lining of the uterus. Some women feel the ovulation in the form of the so-called Mittelschmerz. This causes a more or less pronounced pulling in the area of the ovary, which has released the mature egg in this month.

Ovarian cysts (also known as ovarian cysts) are blisters filled with blood or liquid that form on the ovaries. They are usually caused by hormonal changes, for example through the use of hormonal contraceptives, during puberty, pregnancy or the menopause. Cysts are usually benign, but can also occur as part of ovarian cancer.

Small cysts do not usually cause any discomfort and usually disappear on their own. However, if the cyst is very large, it can cause pain due to pressure on surrounding organs. It can also cause pain during sexual intercourse, constant urge to urinate or irregularities in the stool.

A complication can be a so-called stem rotation. This suddenly causes the cyst to rotate on its own axis, compressing incoming blood vessels and the tissue with which the cyst has grown. The blood supply is tied off and the tissue dies.

This in turn leads to an inflammatory reaction, which in the worst case can extend to the peritoneum and cause peritonitis. Symptomatic of the stem rotation is severe pain on the affected side. Therapeutically, the rotation must be surgically reversed and the cyst removed, otherwise the affected ovary may lose its fertility.

Ovarian inflammation (pelvic inflammatory disease) can also lead to right-sided lower abdominal pain if the right ovary is affected. Ovarian inflammation is usually caused by the migration of pathogens through the vagina and uterus to the fallopian tubes and ovaries. The affected women usually feel severe pain in the area of the affected ovary and often also have a fever and a pronounced feeling of illness.

Nausea and vomiting can also occur, but do not necessarily have to occur. In addition, there may be a foul-smelling discharge from the vagina and intermediate bleeding. Ovarian inflammation most frequently occurs shortly after menstruation.

and symptoms of inflammation of the fallopian tubes During pregnancy, some women experience a pulling in the ovaries. However, severe pain in the area of an ovary can also indicate an ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the mature egg is already fertilized by a sperm in the fallopian tube and does not nest in the uterus, but rather in the fallopian tube.

The fallopian tube is not designed for the growing embryo, which means that from a certain size onwards, there is severe pain. An ectopic pregnancy must absolutely be surgically repaired, as otherwise a rupture of the fallopian tube can occur, which in turn can cause peritonitis. Many women suffer from menstrual pain.

These can also be felt in the area of the ovaries, but are actually caused by the contractions of the uterus. Certain messenger substances, the prostaglandins, are responsible for these contractions. However, they additionally irritate free nerve endings, which causes the unpleasant pain.

Endometriosis is a benign growth of the lining of the uterus. It is irregularly distended and distributed to different parts of the abdominal cavity where it does not belong. For example, functional endometrium can also be deposited in the ovaries.Since this is a mucous membrane, which reacts to hormonal influences within the regular cycle just like the regular uterine mucosa, strong pain can occur depending on the cycle, depending on where the mucous membrane has settled.

Depending on the findings, the endometriosis can be surgically repaired. Ovarian cancer usually causes no symptoms in the early stages. However, if the degenerated cells grow along nerves, pain may occur.

This also applies to later stages of the disease, when the ovarian cancer has grown so large that neighbouring structures are infiltrated. Surrounding organs can then be compressed so that, for example, pain in the bladder and/or rectum, pain during sexual intercourse or pressure pain in the lower abdomen can occur. Irregular bleeding (especially after the onset of menopause), weight loss, bloating and stool changes can also occur.