Where Is Ovary Pain Felt? Location, Spread, and Causes

Quick answer: where is ovary pain felt?

Ovary pain is usually felt low in the tummy, below the belly button, on the left or right side. It can also spread to the lower back, the hip, the groin, or the top of the thigh. The same area holds the womb, the bowel, and the bladder, so pain in this spot does not always come from an ovary.

See a doctor if the pain keeps coming back, gets worse, or stops your usual activities. Get urgent help for sudden severe pain, pain with fainting or a fever, or one-sided pain when you could be pregnant.

Where are the ovaries?

You have two ovaries, one on each side of the womb. They are 2 almond-shaped organs. They sit deep in the pelvis, next to the fallopian tubes, and they move a little with the organs around them. There is no single spot you can press to find one.

How ovary pain can feel

There are several ways pelvic pain can feel, and ovary pain can take any of them:

• A sharp, sudden twinge. Ovulation pain often feels like this, on one side, about 14 days before a period.
• A dull, heavy ache or pressure. A larger ovarian cyst can cause this.
• Cramping or throbbing that comes and goes. Period pain often feels like this.
• Sudden, severe, sharp pain. A cyst that splits or twists can cause this, and it needs urgent help.
• Pain only during an activity, such as sex or exercise.

Pelvic pain or ovary pain?

General pelvic pain is often a wide ache across the lower tummy. Pain from an ovary is more likely to be on one side. That is only a rough guide. Common causes of pelvic pain that have nothing to do with the ovaries include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and urinary tract infections.

Left side

On the left, the ovary sits near the lower part of the large bowel. Bowel problems are a common cause of pain here. Read more in Ovary Pain During Your Period: Left, Right, or Both Sides.

Right side

On the right, the ovary sits near the appendix. Appendicitis usually starts as pain around the belly button that moves to the lower right side and gets worse over a few hours. It needs urgent treatment. If you have intense pain on the right with a fever or vomiting, get help right away.

Can ovary pain spread to your back, hip, or thigh?

Yes. Pain from organs deep in the pelvis is hard to pin down. It is often felt over a wider area, or in a place that seems unrelated. Doctors call this referred pain. For example:

• Lower back. A dull ache in the back can be a symptom of an ovarian cyst. Pain in the lower tummy and back is a symptom of endometriosis.
• Thighs. Period cramps can spread to the back and thighs. Read more in Why Your Legs Ache During Your Period.
• Flank, back, and thighs at once. The pain of a twisted ovary can spread to the thighs, the sides of the body, and the lower back.
• Tip of the shoulder. Pain in the tip of your shoulder together with pelvic pain is a warning sign. It is a reason to call 999 or go to A&E, and it can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.

How do you tell referred ovary pain from a pulled muscle? Look at timing. Back or hip pain that comes at the same point in every cycle, with no injury or change in exercise, is more likely to come from the pelvis. Muscle pain usually changes when you move or stretch the area.

Ovary pain in early pregnancy

Mild aches low in the tummy are common in early pregnancy. Stomach pain in pregnancy is often nothing to worry about if it is mild and goes away when you change position, rest, poo, or pass wind. Harmless causes include:

• Ligament pain, which can feel like a sharp cramp on one side of the lower tummy
• Constipation, which is common in pregnancy
• Trapped wind
• A corpus luteum cyst. After an egg is released, the follicle becomes the corpus luteum. Sometimes it fills with fluid and forms a cyst, and cysts are more likely to form and stay during pregnancy.

When ovary pain in pregnancy is an emergency

An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that grows outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube. Symptoms tend to start between the 4th and 12th week of pregnancy. They can include tummy pain low down on one side, vaginal bleeding or a brown watery discharge, pain in the tip of the shoulder, and discomfort when peeing or pooing.

Contact your GP, early pregnancy unit, or NHS 111 (or your local equivalent) if you have these symptoms and could be pregnant, even without a positive test. Call emergency services if you have sudden, sharp, intense tummy pain with dizziness, fainting, feeling sick, or looking very pale. These can mean a fallopian tube has ruptured, which is life-threatening.

Also call your maternity unit or doctor right away if you are pregnant and have tummy pain with bleeding or spotting, regular cramping, unusual discharge, pain when you pee, or pain that is severe or does not go away after 30 to 60 minutes of rest.

Common causes of pain in the ovary area

Ovulation pain

Ovulation pain lasts from a few minutes to 1 or 2 days, affects one side at a time, and can switch sides each cycle. It is usually nothing to worry about.

Ovarian cysts

Cysts are very common and usually cause no symptoms. A cyst causes symptoms if it splits, is very large, or twists. Symptoms can include pelvic pain, pain during sex, bloating, needing to pee often, and changes to your periods.

Endometriosis

In endometriosis, cells similar to the lining of the womb grow in other places, often the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, and the lining of the pelvis. It can cause severe period pain, pain in the lower tummy and back at other times, pain during or after sex, and pain when you poo or pee. On an ovary, it can form a blood-filled cyst called an endometrioma.

Period pain

Period pain comes from the womb tightening. It is felt in the tummy and can spread to the back and thighs, so it can feel like it comes from the ovaries.

How to describe ovary pain to your doctor

Keep a log for two or three cycles if you can. Be ready to answer:

1. Where is it? Can you point to it with one finger, or is it a wide area? Does it spread to your back, hip, or thigh?
2. When does it happen? At the same point in every cycle, or at random?
3. What makes it worse? Exercise, sex, peeing, or pooing?
4. What else happens? Bloating, bleeding between periods, fever, or changes in your bowel habits?

The Endolog symptom tracker app lets you mark where you feel pain on a body map and export a report for your appointment.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if:

• The pain keeps coming back or does not get better with painkillers
• It stops you from doing your usual activities
• You have bloating that comes and goes or does not go away
• You feel full quickly, have lost your appetite, or are losing weight without trying
• Your periods change, get heavier, or become more painful

Get urgent help for sudden severe pelvic pain, pain with a high temperature or vomiting, pain with fainting or dizziness, pain in the tip of your shoulder, heavy bleeding, or one-sided pain when you could be pregnant.

FAQ: where is ovary pain felt?

Where do you feel ovary pain?

Low in the tummy, below the belly button, on one side. It can spread to the lower back, hip, groin, or thigh.

Can ovary pain radiate to your back or leg?

Yes. Period pain can spread to the back and thighs, a cyst can cause a dull ache in the back, and the pain of a twisted ovary can spread to the thighs and lower back. Pain in the tip of your shoulder with pelvic pain needs emergency care.

Is ovary pain normal in early pregnancy?

Mild aches that go away with rest, a change of position, or going to the toilet are common. One-sided pain with bleeding, shoulder tip pain, dizziness, or pain that does not go away needs urgent care, because it can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.

How do I know if the pain is from my ovary or my bowel?

Pain that follows your cycle points to the ovaries or womb. Pain that changes with meals or bowel movements, or eases after you poo or pass wind, points to the bowel. A doctor may need a scan to be sure.

Related guides

• Ovary Pain During Your Period: Left, Right, or Both Sides
• Period Cramps on One Side: Is It Normal?
• What Ovarian Cyst Pain Can Feel Like
• Sudden Stabbing Pelvic Pain