The pain is not harmful and does not signify the presence of disease. No treatment is usually necessary. Pain relievers (analgesics) may be needed in cases of prolonged or intense pain.

Hormonal forms of contraception can be taken to prevent ovulation—and therefore ovulatory pain—but otherwise there is no known prevention.

The treatment of anovulation is termed ovulation induction and is usually quite efficient. The main treatments are clomifene citrate and gonadotropins.

Clomifene citrate (or clomid) is the medication which is most commonly used to treat anovulation. It is a selective estrogen-receptor modulator, affecting the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis to respond as if there was an estrogen deficit in the body, in effect increasing the production of gonadotrophins. It is relatively easy and convenient to use. Clomifene appears to inhibit estrogen receptors in hypothalamus, thereby inhibiting negative feedback of estrogen on gonadotrophin production. It may also result in direct stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. It also has an effect on cervical mucus quality and uterine mucosa, which might affect sperm penetration and survival, hence its early administration during the menstrual cycle. Clomifene citrate is a very efficient ovulation inductor, and has a success rate of 67%. Nevertheless, it only has a 37% success rate in inducing pregnancy. This difference may be due to the anti-estrogenic effect which clomifene citrate has on the endometrium, cervical mucus, uterine blood flow, as well as the resulting decrease in the motility of the fallopian tubes and the maturation of the oocytes.

The standard dosage for first-time takers is 50 or 100 mg of clomifene per day for five consecutive days, starting early in the menstrual cycle, usually on the third to fifth day counting from the beginning of the menstrual period. In case of amenorrhea, a period can be induced by intake of an oral progestin for 10 days. In absence of success, the dosage can be increased in subsequent cycles with increments of 50 mg. However, at a dosage of 200 mg, further increments are unlikely to increase pregnancy chances.

Women charting with some form of fertility awareness may find mittelschmerz to be a helpful secondary sign in detecting ovulation. Because normal sperm life is up to five days, however, mittelschmerz alone does not provide sufficient advance warning to avoid pregnancy. Because other causes of minor abdominal pain are common, mittelschmerz alone also cannot be used to confirm the beginning of the post-ovulatory infertile period.

Acute appendicitis is typically managed by surgery. However, in uncomplicated cases, antibiotics are effective and safe. While antibiotics are effective for treating uncomplicated appendicitis, 26% of people had a recurrence within a year and required eventual appendectomy. They work less well if an appendicolith is present. Cost effectiveness of surgery versus antibiotics is unclear.

Pain medications (such as morphine) do not appear to affect the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis and therefore should be given early in the patient's care. Historically there were concerns among some general surgeons that analgesics would affect the clinical exam in children, and some recommended that they not be given until the surgeon was able to examine the person.