Ovarian Disorders

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Basics

• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
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• Patient Handouts

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
• Pelvis Ultrasound (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)

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: Role of oxylipins in ovarian function and disease: A comprehensive review.
• Article: Early ultrasound-guided drainage of tubo-ovarian abscesses versus conservative treatment: a retrospective...
• Article: Endometrioma surgery: Hit with your best shot (But know when to...
• Ovarian Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Normal Female Reproductive Anatomy (National Cancer Institute)

Find an Expert

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Patient Handouts

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