Ovary
Ovarium
ReproductiveOrgansPelvisLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
Shown on the female body.
- What it is
- Almond-shaped gonad lying in the ovarian fossa on the side wall of the pelvis, hung from the broad ligament and tethered to the uterus by the ovarian ligament; its surface bulges with follicles.
- Function
- Matures egg cells in follicles, releasing usually one each cycle (ovulation), and secretes oestrogen and progesterone.
- Size
- About 3 × 2 × 1.5 cm; shrinks after menopause.
- Clinical note
- Born with about 1–2 million primordial follicles, of which only about 400 ever ovulate.