I've always gotten a little lower tummy pain right at my midcycle, usually on the left side. 3 months ago I got really bad lower tummy pain right about the time of my midcycle but it was over the entire lower tummy and felt like really bad gas pain without the gas. My whole tummy was tender to the touch and I would get spasms of extreme pain. That lasted about a week and then I didn't get a period for 2 months, then was regular for 2 months with normal periods. Now, it is the time of my midcycle and I have that terrible pain and tenderness again. Could this be a symptom of approaching menopause? It was so bad yesterday that I could hardly stand up. Today it is a little better but still painful and very tender.

Hi:

You would be wise to check with a doctor since it could be caused by several different things.

Is it in the area where you would feel ovulation pain. It's possible that you're feeling it intensely because your body is trying to ovulate an egg that isn't there. Regardless, I would talk to your gyn about it.

Hi, Squirrel2349.

You need to go to the gynecologist and get an inetrnal exam, pap and hopefully a sonogram but definitely an FSH test.That will pin-point anything.

Woah- when I read your post, I remembered when I was just heading towards my last year of peri-menopause.

I had some VERY bad twisting, pinching and cramping pains during the ovulation time and period time for about two months.That's when I thought I either had endometriosis or peri-menopausing.It turned out that I was (now that I look back on it) two years away from fully menopausing. Recently, my general practicioner who give me pap and internal exams, too, told me that gas can indeed cause a bit of a pinching feeling or discomfort in the area you've mentioned.And guess what-when I experienced what you've mentioned , it was on the left side.

While I was peri-menpausing and till the time I stopped all together, I had one of the best gynecologists in NYC. He said that I developed a functional cyst (not harmful) because the egg was trying to release but because I was menopausing, it wasn't and at the follicle, it can cause a cyst (these functional cysts are usually filled with water, very small and can shrink on their own).

Well, get it all checked out and do let us know what happened.Once it's completely over, it's a much easier life-Best wishes !!

The pain was over the entire lower belly instead of just 1 side like normal ovulation pain. Now it's gone entirely - lasted a little under a week, a little less than last time but it definitely occurred right around the 15th day of my cycle. What is an FSH test? I have a gyn appointment but it's not for a couple months.

An FSH test is a test done on day 3 of your cycle that tests how high your follicle stimulating hormone is. A low FSH level (under 10) indicates that you still have eggs left to be stimulated and released. A high FSH level (greater than 10) indicates that you are nearing the end of your fertile years and entering menopause. An FSH can be higher one month than the next depending on whether your body is trying to release an egg.

FSH tests determine only that there are remaining eggs left, not whether those eggs are viable.

Back in September I had this horrific pain in my lower abdomen thinking I was just getting pre-period cramping. Thing was it didn't go away and I had no period. I went to my regular doctor who gingerly went over my abdomen and I jumped whenever he palpitated my abdomen cuz it hurt so bad. He said I may have diverticulitis and prescribed me meds to treat it. He also advised me to see my gyno to rule out an infection which I did that very day. They took me in and when the gyno did a look see she saw no inflammation but palpatated my abdomen while having her fingers inserted in the vaginal canal and I nearly left the table it hurt so bad. Since it was all over my lower abdomen up to my belly button she said it was GI related and told me to take the medication my internist prescribed. Needless to say it helped immensely and I have been pain free since.