My ovulation pains feel somewhat different than menstrual cramps. Sometimes it feels like a pain/twinge directly on the left or right lower abdomen and it's not constant...I will feel it for a minute or two here and there. I, like Heather, never even noticed it until I was really starting to pay attention to my body! Good luck to you! Oh, and sometimes I get this pain a few days before I get a positive OPK as well...
I would say yes they do somewhat. I get slight twinges of cramps around the time when I ovulate. It's quite sudden and then will disappear. I have never noticed it until I started really paying attention to my body.