straining my ovaries

When she was alive, my grandmother expressed herself in pretty amusing ways.  Certain situations always called for the same reaction from her.  For instance, if I mentioned a boy's name (any boy's name), she'd promptly ask, "Oh, with a name like (fill in the boy's last name), what is he?  Jewish? Irish? Italian? Polish? What?"  In my mind, it was always that particular sequence, though that could be my memory creating a caricature of my grandmother.  I can say for certain that the ethnic origin of my female friends was not important because this question was never asked in regard to them. 

Another favorite expression was, "You're going to strain your ovaries!"  This was in response to her seeing me exert myself by lifting or moving heavy objects, y'know, men's work.  Of course, most of you realize that telling me something is men's work is a sure fire way to convince me that it is Heather's work.  Because there's nothing a man can do that I can't!  (I'm stubborn like that!)

I've always scoffed at the idea of 'straining my ovaries', but let me tell you, pregnancy has me re-thinking things!  Like most tech-savvy moms-to-be, I'm quick to use the interwebs to determine if any and every pregnancy discomfort and sensation is 'normal'.  So far, google has been my friend and has provided me the assurance I need that everything I'm experiencing is within the parameters of normal.  My strained ovaries are no exception.  Since the middle of the first trimester I get occasional pains that, to me, embody the feeling of strained ovaries.  Sometimes they're brought on by a particularly robust sneeze or violent cough.  And sometimes they're brought on by me temporarily forgetting I'm pregnant and twisting my mid-section a little too quickly for my growing body to handle.  But every time I feel this particular pain, the first thing I think is, I'm straining my ovaries!  Maybe those thoughts are really grandma letting me know that she's still watching over me and still making sure that I protect my precious ovaries.  With a name like ovary, what is it? Jewish?  Irish?  Italian?  Polish? What?