I received a few recent requests about how we might relieve ovulation pain in the last week and will do my best to try and find some solutions for us to try. The internet was not really forthcoming at resolving this one for us and simply states that we should try to prevent ovulation by going on the contraceptive pill or that we should just accept it as part of being a woman! Well, we all know I don’t agree with either one of these!

The good news is that if you are ovulating, things are working well and at least your hormones are in balance… I know it is a consolation on some level but the pain has to go too!

Let’s see what we can do…

What causes ovulation pain?

Okay, as our ovary (either the left or right one) is stretching just before ovulation this will naturally stretch and pull at anything on the ovary (cysts) or adhesions, which are attached to the ovary. With Endometriosis, it is quite common to have both cysts and adhesions. This is kinda like a big balloon which has stickers stuck onto it. If we blow that balloon up enough, those stickers will start to inhibit the balloon and make the skin of it feel really tight. What we want to do is dissolve the “stickers”, i.e. cysts and adhesions, as much as possible to reduce this effect.

The second thing that happens when we ovulate is that fluid or blood is released from the ruptured egg follicle, which may irritate the lining of the abdomen. With existing inflammatory responses going on with Endometriosis, it is likely that this would enhance that response and we may become more inflamed. This triggers more pain- and inflammatory responses by our bodies.

Feel into your body and try to determine which one you think is more prevalent, though I think my solutions would likely help both of them.

Possible Solutions:

1. Dissolving the cysts

Cysts are fairly common place with women and they come and go. It is when they become enlarged and don’t dissolve that they can become a problem. One of the methods I experimented with recently was to use frankincense oil. This oil has been shown to effectively reduce cysts. These are based on personal anecdotes only but when a friend tells you that she shrunk her visible cyst with it, you have to consider the merits of it. If you want to explore this idea, so check out my new program on how to Shrink Cysts Naturally.

You can also use castor oil packs, which help to dissolve cysts and also have an incredible cleansing action. The oil is super special as it seeps fairly deeply into the skin. You can learn how to make a castor oil pack here.

After receiving a ton of emails and questions about how to dissolve cysts and then having a client ask me to help, I wanted to created a strategy that was easier for you all to follow. I developed the Shrink my Cysts Program to provide you with all the video tutorials and answer all the questions in one place. This is often the key to any success with healing – having a whole strategy to focus on for a set period of time, rather than trying things here and there.

2. Reducing adhesions

Adhesions are kinda like sticky toffee in our abdomen. It can stick organs together and yes, attach themselves to our ovaries and anything close by. When that ovary swells, this will naturally make everything feel stretched and painful. We can dissolve some of those adhesions with systemic enzymes (Serrapeptase). I highly recommend them for every woman with Endometriosis.

You can also stretch the adhesions very gently, and over time they will become less tight and easier to dissolve. The best way to do this is to perform simple stretch exercises which gently move the body into positions it is not normally in. See, adhesions become tighter when we have our bodies in the same rigid positions, like walking straight, sitting straight etc. We want to perform movements that stretch us into different directions. The best way to do this is to practice yoga. It is gentle enough at allowing us to loosen those adhesions but it also works on a number of other aspects for reducing Endometriosis pain, including hormonal balance.

Another more advanced option is to explore the Wurn Technique and Clear Passage therapies. Depending on how tight your adhesions are and how much pain they cause you, this may be an option for you to explore further. You can watch a live interview I did with the owners over at Clear Passage here. It gives you much more insight on their amazing benefits.

3. Encouraging circulation

If the cause of your pain is from the excess fluids aggravating the abdominal cavity, we want to encourage your body to flush out that stuff and dissolve it easily and quickly. This means, getting those “cleansing dudes”, the phagocytes, to the spot. These guys will clean up any debris in the body. Trouble is, they travel within our blood and if our circulation is poor or there are simply not enough of them, we won’t be able to get rid of this matter fast enough. This means, we want to encourage circulation to the abdominal area as much as possible.

I highly recommend the Mayan Massage (free video demonstration here), which will encourage blood flow and all the good things our abdominal area needs. It is super easy and is just a case of regularly taking care of yourself. I do it daily while in the shower and it is amazing how well it works!

Naturally, exercising and not sitting for too long would be factors here. It is easy to think that when we have pain, we should curl up on the couch and do as little as possible but when we are lacking in circulation to the abdominal area, then this is not the best option. Even if you just do some basic stretches or yoga or go for a really short slow walk, this will all help with circulation to the area.

4. Using herbs to support better ovulation

My top recommendation for ovulation pain and particularly with Endometriosis is yarrow (Archillea millefolium). It is an astringent, which means it draws together or reduces secretions. I love this herb as it also helps with period pain, abnormal or heavy flow and has some cool side benefits like antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. It is known as a blood purifier and has great anti-inflammatory properties. (Fisher 2009). I wrote about it previously too...

The other herb, which I discovered, is Pulsatilla or pasque flower (Anemone pulsatilla). Specifically listed is ovarian pain that this herb is medicinally useful for. It must be the dried leaf that is used. It is also good if you struggle with scanty periods. It also has antifungal properties and relieves insomnia and tension headaches. Take it easy on the doses on this one as it can cause gastritis.

Ovulation pain is like most of the pain we experience with Endometriosis. It is difficult to merely treat the pain, when we don’t understand the source of the pain. I never believe any pain signal is something we need to simply put up with and see it more like a signal from our body that something needs our attention.

In some cases it could be just trying to tell us to slow down, to go to bed early or to take a breather and not be so hard on ourselves. Whatever the reason, I hope these suggestions give you some ideas and allow you to tune into what is going on for you and to give you some tools of empowerment to help move you through it easier.

Feel like sharing your experience with ovulation pain?

What sort of ovulation pain do you experience? Which methods have you used to help you through it?