Is Nausea During Ovulation Normal?

Ovulation is the moment during your cycle when your ovaries release an egg, which, if fertilized, could become a pregnancy. This hormone-driven event is a turning point, marking the move from one cycle phase to the next. 

With all that internal change, it may come as no surprise that ovulation can sometimes cause lots of different physical and emotional symptoms. One possible symptom of ovulation is nausea.

Here’s what we know about what ovulation nausea is, including whether nausea during ovulation is normal, what causes nausea during ovulation, what this nausea means for pregnancy, and how to get relief.

What is nausea during ovulation?

Nausea during ovulation is when ovulation is accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms, including:

• Nausea
• Stomach cramps
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Mild abdominal pain

If this sounds familiar, you may be one of the people who experiences nausea during ovulation.

When does nausea during ovulation occur?

You may have nausea and other ovulation symptoms around the time of ovulation:

• In the late follicular phase, as your body prepares for ovulation 
• During the day of ovulation itself
• In the early luteal phase, just after ovulation

When, exactly, is this in your cycle? Generally speaking, ovulation happens around the midpoint of your cycle, and any symptoms appear around then, too. The exact cycle day depends on you and your body.

>>RELATED: How Long Does Ovulation Last?

So if you find yourself feeling a wave of queasiness around midway through your cycle, it could be related to ovulation.

Is having nausea during ovulation normal?

If you feel nauseous around the time you ovulate, rest assured: nausea during ovulation is normal! 

Nausea during ovulation may be a lesser-known symptom than others, and not everyone experiences it, but you’re certainly not alone. Although research into the relationship between nausea and ovulation is limited, lots of anecdotal evidence suggests it can be a common experience.

Like with other ovulation symptoms, feeling mild nausea when ovulating isn’t cause for concern in and of itself. In all likelihood, nausea will resolve itself as ovulation ends. 

If you experience severe nausea or other severe gastrointestinal symptoms, however, consider contacting your doctor.

What causes nausea during ovulation?

The medical community is still working to understand what makes someone nauseous while ovulating, and how common nausea during ovulation is. 

As research continues to develop, there are a few theories about the connection between the two.

Hormone fluctuations

The first possible cause of nausea during ovulation may come as no surprise: hormones. 

Like so many other functions in our bodies, ovulation is regulated by key reproductive hormones. 

A significant increase in estrogen levels signals to your body that it’s almost time to ovulate. Then, a spike in luteinizing hormone (LH) known as the “LH surge” triggers your ovaries to release the egg. When ovulation ends, progesterone starts to rise.

To put it simply: the period of time around ovulation is chock full of fluctuating hormones. That can potentially cause lots of different symptoms, including feelings of nausea and an upset stomach.

If nausea is showing up mid-cycle for you, tracking your LH and estrogen daily can help you map exactly when it hits, and confirm you're actually ovulating when you think you are. Oova measures both, so you're not guessing at your cycle from symptoms alone.

Estrogen increases

Estrogen, in particular, may play a specific role in ovulation nausea. 

People on hormonal birth control or those taking hormone replacement therapy—both of which administer estrogen—can experience side effects like nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and bloating. This suggests a possible connection between estrogen and nausea. 

Of course, estrogen levels rising naturally prior to ovulation isn’t quite the same as taking medication with estrogen. But the potential impact that higher estrogen has on your body could be similar in both circumstances.

In other words, it’s not out of the question that the pre-ovulation jump in estrogen may contribute to feeling queasy.

Estrogen and the gut

Estrogen also has an impact on the gut and the intestines, which could provide another source of ovulation nausea. 

Gastric motility is the process by which the stomach muscles move food through the digestive tract—aka digestion. Research indicates that gastric motility is lower during cycle phases with high estrogen.

That means that higher estrogen levels may slow digestion. If this is the case, as estrogen levels increase during ovulation, you may experience symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, indigestion, constipation, and nausea.

Ovulation symptoms

Other ovulation symptoms may also contribute to an upset stomach. 

Ovulation pain and cramping, for example, could also cause nausea, depending on how your body responds to these sorts of symptoms. 

Does nausea during ovulation mean you’re pregnant?

As you may know, nausea can be an early sign of pregnancy. You may be wondering, then, if there’s a connection between nausea during ovulation and pregnancy.

The answer is no, experiencing nausea during ovulation doesn’t mean you’re pregnant.

It’s impossible to be pregnant when you ovulate, because the events that could lead to pregnancy (that is, the newly released egg getting fertilized by sperm) are only just beginning during ovulation.

In fact, the earliest you can get a positive pregnancy test isn’t until about 14 days post ovulation. 

How to get relief from nausea during ovulation

Ovulation can come with lots of different signs and symptoms, the majority of which—including nausea—are generally a normal part of your body doing its thing.

Luckily, ovulation symptoms don’t last much longer than ovulation itself, so you’ll probably feel better in a day or two. 

Still, that doesn’t mean you need to suffer through nausea and other uncomfortable ovulation symptoms.

Here a few strategies you can try to get relief from nausea during ovulation:

• Take over-the-counter medication, like antacids or anti-nausea medication
• Try natural remedies, like ginger tea, aromatherapy, or gentle acupressure on points for nausea 
• Apply cool compresses to your neck or forehead
• Apply heat to your abdomen
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals slowly, as symptoms allow
• Avoid foods that worsen nausea, like spicy, high-fat, or sugary foods
• Stay hydrated

Talk to your doctor if you experience intense nausea, severe pain, or other intense symptoms during ovulation, as these could be signs of an underlying condition. 

How to track ovulation

If you regularly experience mild nausea at particular moments, it may be useful to track your cycle. 

This can help you better understand whether nausea coincides with ovulation, and how different symptoms line up with cycle phases more generally.

To track your ovulation, you can look out for other physical signs of ovulation in addition to nausea, like changes in cervical mucus, a rise in basal body temperature (BBT), ovulation pain, or ovulation bleeding. 

For a greater level of detail and reliability, try using ovulation predictor kits (or OPKs) to track your fertility at home. 

The Oova fertility kit goes a few steps further than traditional OPKs, measuring your unique hormone levels so you can track what exactly is happening in your body, and when.

Is nausea during ovulation normal? The bottom line

For some people, ovulation may cause nausea around midway through the cycle. This is perfectly normal! If you experience severe nausea, though, consider contacting your doctor.

Nausea during ovulation may be caused by hormonal fluctuations, rising estrogen levels, and other ovulation symptoms. Feeling nauseous during ovulation does not have any impact on your fertility, and does not mean you’re pregnant.

To ease discomfort from nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms during ovulation, try remedies like antacids, ginger tea, cool compresses, and eating smaller meals as symptoms allow.