--- title: "Ovulation pain: what is it and how long does it last?" description: "A sharp or dull pain on one side of your lower belly, mid cycle? That is often ovulation pain. How long it lasts, what helps and when to see your GP." url: https://myperiod.app/en/blog/pijn-bij-eisprong lang: en date: 2026-11-02 publisher: PERIOD. B.V., Amsterdam --- [Back to blog](https://myperiod.app/blog) [Your cycle](https://myperiod.app/blog/categorie/cyclus) · 4 min read # Ovulation pain: what is it and how long does it last? [Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands](https://myperiod.app/blog/pijn-bij-eisprong) PERIOD. team · November 2, 2026 **Short answer:** ovulation pain is a dull or sharp pain on one side of your lower belly, about halfway through your cycle. It usually lasts from a few minutes to a day or two and is harmless. About 1 in 5 women feel it. Warmth or a painkiller usually helps. See your GP for severe pain, fever or pain that lasts longer. ## What is ovulation pain? At ovulation an egg is released from a follicle in your ovary. A little fluid or blood can come out with it and irritate the lining of your belly. You feel that as pain on the side of the ovary that released an egg that month, which is why it sometimes switches sides. It is also called mittelschmerz, German for middle pain, because it falls mid cycle. ## What does it feel like and how long does it last? - Dull, crampy or a short sharp twinge. - On one side, low in your belly. - From a few minutes to about 48 hours. - Sometimes with clear mucus or a trace of blood in your discharge. In a 28 day cycle, ovulation falls around day 14, about 14 days before your next period. Work it out for your cycle with the [free ovulation calculator](https://myperiod.app/en/tools/ovulation-calculator). ## What helps? - A hot water bottle or a warm bath. - A painkiller like paracetamol or ibuprofen, as the leaflet says. - Rest and gentle movement. - If it bothers you a lot every month, contraception that stops ovulation can help. Discuss it with your GP. ## When to see your GP - For severe pain, or pain lasting longer than two days. - For fever, vomiting or pain when peeing. - For pain with bleeding outside your period. - If you could be pregnant: pain on one side can then also be an ectopic pregnancy. Call straight away. ## Pain as a sign of your fertile days If you are trying to conceive, ovulation pain can be a useful sign, together with egg white [discharge](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/afscheiding-tijdens-je-cyclus) and a positive [ovulation test](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/ovulatietest-gebruiken). Also read [how to recognise ovulation](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/ovulatie-symptomen-herkennen). In [PERIOD.](https://myperiod.app/free) you log pain and discharge per day, so you see whether it falls around the same day each month. *Sources: NHS, Ovulation pain; Thuisarts.nl (NHG), Buikpijn. This article is general information, not medical advice.* ## Frequently asked questions ### Is ovulation pain normal? Yes. About 1 in 5 women feel it and it is usually harmless. ### How long does ovulation pain last? From a few minutes to about two days. ### Does the pain mean I am fertile? It falls around ovulation, so around your fertile days. It is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy. **Want to track ovulation and symptoms? [Download PERIOD. on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/period-cycle-period-tracker/id6757947793) or [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.myperiod.android).** Want to understand your cycle better? [Why PERIOD. is the period tracker that never sells your data](https://myperiod.app/free) ## Keep reading [Best app for period and ovulation tracking (2026)Tracking your period and ovulation in one app: what an app can and cannot know, which measurements really help, and how Flo, Clue, Natural Cycles and PERIOD. approach it.Read more](https://myperiod.app/blog/best-app-period-and-ovulation-tracking)[Trying to conceive: when do you switch from a cycle app to a pregnancy app?Short answer: preferably never. The moment you switch is exactly when your cycle data is worth the most. What you lose, what you need, and how it fits in one app.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/van-cyclus-app-naar-zwangerschapsapp-wanneer-overstappen)[Cycle app on the pill: is tracking still worth it when you use contraception?Short answer: yes, but for a different reason than you think. On the pill you do not predict ovulation, but you do track complaints, bleeding and what happens when you stop.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/cyclus-app-met-de-pil-heeft-het-zin)