Can ovulation cause nausea? What you should know

Whether it’s cramps and spotting or a heightened sex drive and extra energy, hormone fluctuations during your cycle can impact the way you feel in lots of weird and wonderful ways. But nausea caused by changes in your hormones only happens during early pregnancy, right? Not so.

Queasiness might not be the first ovulation symptom you think of, but it can happen. So, here’s everything you need to know about ovulation nausea — from when and why it might happen to how to treat it at home. 

Key takeaways

• Ovulation is the part of your cycle when one of your ovaries releases an egg. This process is triggered by hormonal changes that can impact the way you feel physically and emotionally. 
• You might most closely associate nausea and your cycle with being pregnant. However, this isn’t the only time when your fluctuating hormones might leave you feeling sick. 
• It’s really important to know that if you feel unwell around the time that you’re ovulating, this isn’t an early sign of pregnancy — it’s much too early for that. 
• Whether your nausea is cycle related or not, there are lots of ways to manage it at home. 

Why you might feel nauseous during ovulation

Before we dig into why you might feel nauseous, it can be helpful to understand what’s actually happening when you ovulate. 

Simply put, ovulation describes the moment when one of your ovaries releases an egg. Like so many other parts of your cycle, hormonal changes play a crucial role in triggering ovulation.

In the days before you release an egg, your levels of a hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) begin to increase. This stimulates the growth of small fluid-filled sacs called follicles in your ovaries, where your eggs develop. Your body also releases more of the female hormone estrogen in the lead-up to ovulation. 

Just before ovulation, your estrogen peaks. Then, your body releases a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), which triggers ovulation. In the days after, your estrogen levels drop again, and another hormone called progesterone rises. Progesterone’s job is to support a potential pregnancy. So, why might this make you feel queasy? 

“This sudden change — drastic increases in estrogen as well as that LH peak [just before ovulation] — can impact the digestive system. Translation: nausea,” says Dr. Angela Jones, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, New Jersey. 

Frustratingly, there isn’t a lot of medical evidence that ovulation nausea is a medical symptom that can be linked to this point in your cycle. A lot of what we know about this symptom is anecdotal. However, if you do feel sick at this point in your cycle, you’re certainly not alone. 

Hormone changes can cause cramping around the time that you release an egg. This is known as ovulation pain. Some people also report bloating and queasiness alongside this pain. 

Doctors have also linked high estrogen levels with more severe pregnancy sickness and nausea. Similarly, a side effect of estrogen tablets (often taken to treat some of the hormonal symptoms of perimenopause) is nausea and sickness. This could suggest that as your estrogen levels rise — like just before ovulation — you may be more likely to feel unwell. 

How long does ovulation nausea last?

Simply put, there isn’t enough medical research into our cycles, so much of what we know about ovulation nausea is based on people’s experiences. That makes it hard to pinpoint if the sickness you’re feeling is a sign of ovulation or something else.

What doctors do know is that ovulation signs and symptoms can last longer than ovulation itself. You might notice some of the signs associated with ovulation in the day or two leading up to it and the day after it, as these are the times that your hormone levels are fluctuating. If your breasts feel tender, you have light cramps, and you notice a change in your cervical mucus (it might feel more slippery), then this could be a sign that you’re close to ovulation or may be ovulating. 

Logging these symptoms, along with any nausea, can help you build a picture of patterns in your cycle — and figure out what’s typical for you. An ovulation-tracking app like Flo is really useful for this. You’ll get a report at the end of each cycle showing the symptoms you logged most and when.

Similarly, it’s worth remembering that your hormones aren’t the only reason why you might feel sick. From food that’s slightly gone bad to stress, there are many reasons why you might not feel 100%. If you’re feeling nauseous, then try to slow down and give yourself some time to rest. If you’re worried about the way you’re feeling, then reach out to your doctor. They will be able to recommend the best next step. 

What are the other signs and symptoms of ovulation?

While nausea isn’t considered to be one of the key signs or symptoms of ovulation, there are ways you can spot if you’re at this point in your cycle, including: 

• Change in cervical mucus: The texture of your cervical mucus or discharge changes throughout your menstrual cycle, so it can be a pretty good indicator of where you are if you know what you’re looking for. During ovulation, it will be clear and slippery, like egg white. 
• Changes in body temperature: Your basal body temperature or BBT is your temperature when you’re at total rest. After ovulation, your BBT rises by between 0.5º and 1º F, so it could be a good indicator if you ovulated. 
• Breast tenderness: Hormonal changes can change how your boobs look and feel. They might feel more sensitive than normal around the time of ovulation. 
• Mittelschmerz: This is the name given to pain or cramps during ovulation. It happens after the follicle in your ovary, which contains an egg, bursts. For many people, it’s over quickly — but you may experience some light bleeding during ovulation, too.
• Softer, higher cervix: It can be tough to check changes in your cervix at home, but did you know that it can move position throughout your cycle? During ovulation, it becomes softer and higher. 

Monitoring slight changes in your body temperature or discharge isn’t always straightforward. That’s where an ovulation-tracking app like Flo can help. Simply log your period dates, and it will predict when you’re likely to be ovulating. Remember: You should never use ovulation tracking as birth control.

Does feeling sick and tired during ovulation mean you’re pregnant?

Since nausea is a fairly common symptom in early pregnancy, you’d be forgiven for mistaking cycle-related queasiness for pregnancy sickness. However, Dr. Jones highlights that there are lots of different times in your cycle when you might feel nauseous, including just before your period. “Feeling sick and tired can be a normal sign of premenstrual syndrome (PMS),” she says. 

If you’re trying for a baby, then nausea may be a welcome symptom, but try not to jump to conclusions. While so many of us think of pregnancy being the moment when one of your ovaries releases an egg and it’s met by a sperm, there’s more to it than that. You’re officially classed as pregnant when that fertilized egg has traveled down one of your fallopian tubes and attaches to the lining of your uterus. This is called implantation and can take six to ten days. At this point, your body starts to release hormones to support your developing pregnancy. These hormones can make you feel sick. 

Many people don’t start to report feeling pregnancy nausea until around week six of pregnancy. So, the best way to determine if your nausea is caused by ovulation, pregnancy, or something else is to do a pregnancy test on the first day that you’ve missed your period.

How to stop nausea during ovulation

Let’s face it: Feeling sick is not fun. Luckily, there are things you can do at home to take care of yourself. 

You can: 

• Take hormonal birth control: Some forms of birth control can regulate your hormones. One benefit of this is it can regulate your cycle, so you don’t have the hormone highs and lows linked to feeling sick. Another is it may ease any unpleasant symptoms you have, e.g., queasiness. 
• Try herbal tea: Ginger and peppermint have both been used for generations as natural remedies to soothe upset stomachs. They might make you feel a little better.
• Be mindful of your water intake: Cycle-related symptoms can be exacerbated if you’re dehydrated. Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids. 
• Change your diet: At times when you’re feeling nauseous, it can be a good idea to avoid fried, greasy, or sweet foods and choose small portions of bland foods, like toast, instead.