Why does my left side hurt

A nagging pain in the left side of the body is a sign of soreness in one of the organs situated in that area. Here are the common areas of pain in the left side of the body:

Stomach Ulcer: The stomach lies towards the left of the abdomen. Pain in the left area means you may be suffering from stomach ulcer. Also known as peptic ulcer or dyspepsia, one may feel a severe inflammation or discomfort in the left side of the abdomen, i.e.; the stomach area. The symptoms include pain, nausea, vomiting food or blood and belching. There are two types of ulcers: gastric ulcer, which is experienced after having meals and duodenal ulcer that one may experience on empty stomach or between meals. The pain can be treated by taking antacids.

Pancreatitis: Pancreatitis is a common health problem that affects the left side of the body. It can be of two kinds: acute as well chronic. The acute form is severe and sharp with the pain even shifting to the back area or below left shoulder. The root causes of this problem can be presence of gallstones, gallbladder issue and alcoholism. Chronic pancreatitis is due to continuous alcohol abuse.

The pancreas maintains stable blood sugar levels by producing insulin and glucagon. Deficiency of insulin makes blood sugar levels rise up, causing diabetes.

Ovulation pain: This happens in women and is not very common. Women ovulate once in a month and they do not feel the egg cell coming out of the ovary. But there are few who are prone to such a sensation and may experience mild to severe ache while ovulating. This kind of ovulation pain is known as ‘midcycle pain’. It happens in the lower abdomen on the body to the left side when a woman ovulates.

Having pain on the left side only implies the location of the organ and the region of pain. There can be other causes which can be explained only by the doctor after a comprehensive checkup.