I'm wondering how old you are. I'm 41. At my annual I had this same talk with my doc. Ovulation can become painful as we "age" because of scar tissue. Every time an egg errupts, it makes a little scar. Cramping during ovulation as we approach menopause is normal. For a few years now my periods have been like yours... bleed for 2-3 days, get a break, then older (brownish) blood to finish the cycle. Remember the uterus is shedding its lining, so tissue that takes a comes out later in the cycle will be older (hence the color change). The delay in time, for me, was considered normal since everything else is healthy. Hope this helps!