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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
If you're a woman who sometimes experiences pain on one side of your lower abdomen and you don't know what it is, keep track of its timing by observing and recording several menstrual cycles. If it occurs midway through your menstrual cycle — about 14 days before your next menstrual period — you're most likely experiencing a condition called mittelschmerz. A German word that means "middle pain," mittelschmerz is pain with ovulation.
In most cases, mittelschmerz doesn't require medical attention. For minor mittelschmerz discomfort, over-the-counter pain relievers and home remedies are often effective. If your mittelschmerz pain is troublesome, your doctor may prescribe an oral contraceptive.
- Biechman AN, et al. Evaluation and management of ruptured ovarian cyst. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Forcier M. Emergency department evaluation of acute pelvic pain in the adolescent female. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:20.
- Welt CK, et al. The normal menstrual cycle. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Greydanus DE, et al. Menstrual disorders in adolescent females: Current concepts. Disease-A-Month. 2009;55:45.
- Zurawski JM. Mittelschmerz. In: Hillard PJA, ed. The 5-Minute Obstetrics and Gynecology Consult. Philadelphia, Pa.: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008:128.
