You likely expect to feel symptoms when you experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but did you know that you can feel a bit off when you’re ovulating? This time of your cycle can present symptoms that leave you achy and cranky while also heightening your senses and creating changes in your body.
Can ovulation make you dizzy?
Yes, ovulation can make you dizzy. Due to hormone changes, your nervous system can actually be affected. Estrogen and progesterone play a major role in your menstrual cycle, and these hormone levels shift during ovulation. That’s why a headache, nausea, and dizziness can all appear.
It’s important to understand how ovulation works so you can truly grasp the impact it has on your mental and physical wellbeing. For some women, it’s an easy time of the month and for others, it requires pain management.
How Ovulation Works
Ovulation is a journey. The egg that grows and matures inside a follicle finally detaches and makes its way out of the ovary and into the fallopian tube. If the egg is fertilized by sperm, you will get pregnant, but if it’s not then you will shed that egg with your period instead.
Common Signs of Ovulation
Some women know when they are ovulating and some don’t. However, there are usually a few signs if you are paying close attention.
Changes in Body Temperature
The temperature your body is at when at rest is called your basal body temperature, also known as your BBT. When you’re not ovulating, this temperature is lower than when you are. If you track your temperature, you may notice that your BBT rises right after you ovulate. The rise should stay consistent for a couple of days to be associated with ovulation.
Slight Cramping or Pelvic Achiness
I can usually feel ovulation, and I’m not alone in this. Achy, cramping pain may be a sign that you are feeling the physical impact of ovulation.
Breast Tenderness
Does the idea of putting on a bra make you cringe? You may be near ovulation. Blame surges of hormones for the sensitive breasts.
Bloating
If your clothes don’t seem to fit the same, you’re not crazy. Estrogen and a luteinizing hormone flow through your system abundantly right before you ovulate. Bloating is often a side effect.
Change in Discharge
Cervical mucus changes when you ovulate, so you may notice a discharge that is stretchy or very wet. Most people compare the color to the whites of eggs, and this is a sign your body is getting ready for an actual egg to release.
Increased Libido
If you feel more like participating in the activity that can get you pregnant, you may be ovulating.
Heightened Sense of Smell or Taste
Your sense of smell and taste will likely be heightened when you are ovulating for a very practical reason: your body is on the lookout for androstenone. This is a male pheromone, and these heightened senses when you ovulate can help you seek out a partner and reproduce.
Light Spotting
Not all women spot when they ovulate, but some do. A rise in progesterone levels is to blame, and ovulation spotting should not be anywhere as near as dramatic as period bleeding.
Cervical Changes
You won’t notice cervical changes unless you know how, but they do occur when you ovulate. Imagine a softer cervix with more moisture that is in a more opportune position for you to get pregnant.
Nausea
Blame your hormones for nausea when you ovulate. Besides dizziness, you may have a distinct feeling of being unwell as your stomach turns and your body adjusts to this phase of your cycle.
Headaches
Ovulation headaches are real, and some people get them almost every cycle. Again, changes in hormones are to blame, which is why these are often called hormone headaches.
Dizziness
Rising estrogen levels mean you can feel dizzy right before or during ovulation. If you don’t track your cycle or know this is a symptom, it can feel like the dizziness hitting you out of nowhere.
How To Stop Dizziness During Ovulation
If you feel dizzy when you ovulate, make sure to stop what you are doing and sit down. To help alleviate or lessen the dizziness, make sure you are getting plenty of sleep and drinking lots of water. Eat a balanced diet and try to get some exercise. Doing basic things to take care of your body may help you feel less impact from the hormone changes.
If dizziness reaches a point where it is affecting your everyday life, talk to your doctor.
How Long Does Ovulation Pain Last?
Your ovulation pain can last anywhere from minutes to days. Some women experience pain on and off for a couple of days while some report only slight pangs that come and go quickly.
Treatment for Painful Ovulation
To treat painful ovulation, you may want to apply heat. Use a heating pad or soak in a warm bath. You can also gently massage your abdomen in the place you’re experiencing pain. Taking pain medications and trying gentle yoga for pain are also options.
Dizzy Before Period or Pregnant?
Some women do get dizzy before their period starts, but you can also experience dizziness as a symptom of pregnancy. The only way to know the difference is to take a pregnancy test to confirm if your period happens to be late.
Related Questions:
Do Both Ovaries Release Eggs?
Only one ovary releases one egg a cycle in normal circumstances. The left and right ovaries take turns. However, it is possible for both ovaries to release an egg during the same cycle. If both are fertilized, this can result in fraternal twins.
Can Hormones Cause Dizziness?
Hormones can absolutely cause dizziness, especially spikes in estrogen and progesterone. Some women experience dizziness right before their periods while others have it around the time of ovulation.
Ovulation can lead to many symptoms. Know what to expect as this time approaches each month.
Mom of three (including identical twin boys), wife, and owner of Parents Wonder. This is my place to share my journey as a mother and the helpful insights I learn along the way.