Ovaries

Looks like

An almond about 3 cm long on each side wall of the pelvis, lumpy with follicles.

What it does

Stores and releases eggs and makes oestrogen and progesterone.

Keeping it well

Know your cycle, contraception that suits you; sudden one-sided pelvic pain can be a twisted ovary and is an emergency.

Its parts

• Ovarian follicles
• Corpus luteum

Related conditions

• Absent periods (amenorrhoea)
• Adrenal insufficiency (Addison's)
• Bone metastases and spinal cord compression
• Early puberty (precocious puberty)
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Endometriosis
• Female infertility
• Hereditary cancer syndromes (BRCA, Lynch)
• Hyperthyroidism & Graves' disease
• Hypothyroidism
• Menopause & perimenopause
• Mumps
• Ovarian cancer
• Ovarian cysts
• Ovarian torsion
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Postnatal depression
• Premature ovarian insufficiency
• Premenstrual syndrome and PMDD
• Turner syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes