Intense ovulation

Hi all! So talk to me of intense ovulation.

I know atomic has talked about how her ovulation has been quite intense since having kids, and after tons of reading online, I've seen a lot of different anecdotes supporting this. And I know I've been much more away of ovulation pains since DD. I think I recall feeling occasional pangs back before her, but I then was on continuous BC for years and years before TTC, so definitely don't recall much more beyond maybe once or twice noticing it in my teens/early 20s.

What is normal for ovulation pains? What are all of your experiences with ovulation sensations?

I've been having more and more obvious cramps/pangs at ovulation. Obviously I have a lot of other variables at work (coming off two cycles of IVF and a FET and all of the drugs that accompany that; lots of pregnancies under my belt now; one confirmed pregnancy where I released two eggs). I'm 3DPO (supposedly) and still feeling some on and off intense cramping and pangs and starting to freak out I didn't O at all. I freak myself out even further when I Google and things say endometriosis can cause painful ovulation, as can cysts -- though I've also read some people are just more sensitive to the corpus luteum cyst. So I'm torn between thinking, "Great, the one cycle I don't temp for stress reasons, I stress even more about maybe not O-ing" and "Maybe this is two eggs again, or just a much stronger ovulation and I'm releasing more progesterone."

My O pains are certainly not "rush to the ER" or anything, but I'm noticing increasing "intensity" for lack of a better word. Almost AF like cramps when I'm ovulating on top of the left or right side pain.

So I'm looking for any experiences with this -- and hopefully some reassurance that as long as it's not "double over in pain," this isn't too out of the ordinary.

Sounds normal to me from my experiences. I've always had really intense ovulation pains since I was a young adult. There were times where I swore an alien was trying to burst out of me! LOL I'd get a very swollen, achy sensation in one ovary, sometimes spreading all the way across. One of the cycles I got pregnant, I had such bad O pains that I had to lie down for a few hours because moving around made it worse. I have noticed I'll get crampy pains for a few days after ovulation, which might be what you're experiencing or it's possible you're just now ovulating...hard to say. But my O pains were more swollen/achy feelings versus after ovulation it's more cramping and general discomfort so at least for me, there's a distinction between the two.

I have had O pains that went on for a full week after O. And yes definitely like AF cramps, or more like what I'd call afterpains - those cramps you get for a few days after having a baby. The thing is that it's not only the corpus luteum, but the fluid released with the egg and cramping of the Fallopian tubes that may cause sensations of pain after ovulation. And the hormones also make your uterus feel tender too. I notice some months a peak in "O Pain" (which isn't, of course, techically O pain) at 7 DPO when I have the secondary estrogen surge. I suspect some of us are just very responsive to hormone levels and we experience increased blood flow that causes some soreness and whereever we feel the soreness is just the parts of our bodies that have the most nerve endings.

It's pretty unlikely that endometriosis has sneaked by given that you've just had recent HT cycles (and all the associated scans and stuff that come with that) and plus most women will have severe pain with their periods with endo and not only around ovulation. And as for cysts, I have had pretty major O pain and I did have one cyst and they were very different from each other. The O pains were not even close to the intensity and focus of the cyst. It was definitely a stabby, all in one spot feeling and not generally all over my pelvis, and it never moved around. Whereas with O pains, they are more generalized and will be worse in one spot sometimes and in another spot other times.

The best way to know if this is O related is (provided it's not "rush to the ER" pain) is just to take a wait and see approach. If you find it doesn't get any worse and that it is more generalized and moves from spot to spot or is just very diffuse, I would suspect O pains and then you may even want to make a note or keep a diary about the days you experience it. Although be warned, I had many years where it would come and go, most months I'd not have any O pains at all and then only over the course of time did I find I had them more and more, then most, then virtually ALL months and nowadays I even get worried on the rare months I don't have them, LOL. :)