The exact cause of bleeding during ovulation is not clear and could be due to emerging follicles. Hormones prompt ovaries to produce around 20 follicles that contain an immature egg, and out of this only one follicle matures. It is during this process of maturing and bursting out from the follicle that pain or bleeding occurs. Few women are discomfited by bleeding, as it is a signal of ovulation, or they bleed slightly in middle of their cycle.

Bleeding during ovulation can be from several causes, and only your doctor will be able to determine for sure which applies in your specific case. If the reason behind bleeding is other than menstruation, then certainly there is a strong reason to worry. It is called abnormal or dysfunctional uterine bleeding. And African women are highly prone to such malfunctioning.

It takes place in the lower abdomen, or inside the hip bone. The pain can be felt on either side-usually depending on which ovary the egg cell is released. By "painful" ovulation, it could mean sharp pain or cramps, or minor twinges extending to a dull, nagging ache. After a day or so, nausea could be experienced along with light menstrual spotting. The light bleeding can last for 6 to 8 hours, to 24 to 48 hours. Pain when ovulating is due to minor blood leakage from the ovary during ovulation. It's the leaking blood which causes the pain as it irritates the abdominal wall.

During the ovulation phase, ovulation is most likely to occur and hence it is the most fertile period in a cycle. In this phase, the developed egg or follicle bursts open and is released into the fallopian tube. This usually happens mid-cycle, say on the 14th day of a normal 28-days cycle. 2-3 days before and after ovulation are the most fertile days.In the post-ovulation phase, the egg is either planted in the uterus after being fertilized with a sperm or it is not fertilized. If it is not fertilized, the follicle breaks down and again sheds the lining of the uterus, which has gone unused.

Endometrial cysts or chocolate cysts, due to their brown color, form as a result of endometriosis causing the cyst to fill with blood. Endometrial tissue normally found only in the uterus grows on the ovaries in this condition. These cysts themselves do not bleed into the body, unless they are ruptured. Endometrial cysts, which are sometimes thought of as bleeding ovarian cysts are potentially dangerous. Because they are filled with partially dried blood, which is sticky, if they do rupture and become bleeding ovarian cysts, they can cause major complications and even begin to fuse internal organs together .

Ovulation occurs two weeks before the onset of the menstrual period once every month till menopause, or break in between for child birth and pregnancy. Certain changes occur in the cervical mucus, which gets slippery and slick, accompanied by general or localized pain. Sometimes there is delay or deviation from 24 to 35 days in the menstrual cycle, or slight fever in women who follow natural family planning methods.

The Basal Body Temperature method shows when you are ovulating by you keeping a record of where you are in your menstrual cycle. The Basal Body Temperature chart records the change in temperature that occurs after ovulation. It cannot predict when ovulation will occur in a given cycle, but by looking at records from a few cycles you can notice a pattern from which ovulation can be estimated.