I feel twinges of pain when I ovulate too. (I love being aware of where I am in my cycle! I use fertility awareness with traditional contraceptives to feel safer.) Like Elle said, that's normal for some women. What you described sounds abnormally painful though, since you compare it to menstrual cramps--but then again I don't know how bad your menstrual cramps are. Nancy, if this pain has just recently gotten worse, I would see a doctor.

Oh, BTW... My family has a history of fraternal twins... Sometimes I feel twinges in both ovaries, or two "rounds" of pain in one ovary. I've always wondered if that means I'm releasing two eggs. I asked the last OB/GYN I went to and she was just flabbergasted at my question.