There is a risk with fertility drugs of ovarian twisting, or ovarian torsion. While it doesn’t seem like I’m having enough pain for that to have been the case, and I didn’t have any cysts at my baseline sonogram, it’s still nagging at me. It would have helped had I had proof of ovulation.

Ovarian torsion is when an ovary gets twisted and the blood supply to the ovary gets cut off.  It is a possible side-effect of fertility drugs but can also be caused by both pregnancy and ovarian tumors. Since I was cleared of having any cysts at the beginning of my first fertility cycle, I suppose there are no cysts (unless they developed while I was on the meds?) Pregnancy is pretty much out, with 2 negative HPTs after my cycle ended pretty obviously.

Of course the symptoms of ovarian torsion include lower abdominal pain – of which I did have early in this cycle, that I (possibly incorrectly) identified as my ovaries working overtime since I still had residual fertility drugs in my system. More symptoms include nausea and/or throwing up, and a sore abdomen around the ovary.  I don’t have those symptoms, and yet I still have a nagging wonder at the back of my brain.

I found that ovarian twisting can be diagnosed through blood tests, or through a pelvic sonogram, so I may end up calling to have a ‘just in case’ sonogram done – just to rest my mind, if nothing else.  In the case of a confirmed twisted ovary, it has to be corrected through surgery. If it’s not treated, the ovary ends up getting gangrene and necrosis because it’s blood supply is cut off.  Imagine the horror in the women this happens to – you want so much to get pregnant, you go through this extreme treatment and stress only to end up losing your ovary – which may have been perfectly functional before – because of it. gah.