Ovarian Disorders

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

Specifics

• Adnexal Torsion Merck & Co., Inc.

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ovarian Diseases National Institutes of Health

Find an Expert

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Find an Ob-Gyn American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Diagnosis and Tests

• DHEA Sulfate Test National Library of Medicine
• Estrogen Levels Test National Library of Medicine
• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels Test National Library of Medicine
• Laparoscopy National Library of Medicine
• Pelvis Ultrasound Radiological Society of North America

Reference Desk

• Normal Female Reproductive Anatomy National Cancer Institute

Patient Handouts

• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome Medical Encyclopedia
• Ovarian overproduction of androgens Medical Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia

• Pelvic laparoscopy Medical Encyclopedia
• Pelvis MRI scan Medical Encyclopedia

Treatments and Therapies

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

Genetics

• Perrault syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Journal Articles

• Ovarian Disorders

Statistics and Research

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