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• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Genetics

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Summary

The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond.

The ovaries produce and store a woman's eggs. During ovulation, an ovary releases an egg. If that egg is fertilized by a sperm, a pregnancy can occur. Ovaries also make the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. When a woman goes through menopause, her ovaries stop making those hormones and releasing eggs.

Problems with the ovaries include

• Ovarian cancer
• Ovarian cysts and polycystic ovary syndrome
• Primary ovarian insufficiency
• Ovarian torsion, a twisting of the ovary

Diagnosis and Tests

• DHEA Sulfate Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Estrogen Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Laparoscopy (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound -- Pelvis (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Pelvic Venous Disease (pelvic congestion syndrome or chronic pelvic pain) (Society of Interventional Radiology)

Specifics

• Adnexal Torsion (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Perrault syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Restoring Bone Density in Women with Ovarian Disorder (National Institutes of Health)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ovarian Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Biological significance of KRAS mutant allele expression in ovarian endometriosis.
• Article: A comparison of the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine...
• Article: Association of Premenopausal Bilateral Oophorectomy With Restless Legs Syndrome.
• Ovarian Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Normal Female Reproductive Anatomy (National Cancer Institute)

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• womenshealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ovarian overproduction of androgens (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish