Skip to main content

Ovaries



Every woman is born with an organ essential to fertility - her ovaries. We all hear about these two organs located deep inside our bodies, but how much do we actually know about them? 
What are the Ovaries?
The ovaries are an essential part of a woman's reproductive system. Together with the uterus, fallopian tubes, and vagina, the ovaries allow a woman to become pregnant. They are also responsible for giving a woman all of her secondary sex characteristics - in short, your ovaries are what make you look like a woman.
Your ovaries are two almond-shaped glands that are located just underneath the ends of yourfallopian tubes. You have one ovary on either side of your uterus. Your ovaries are very small - in fact they are only about one and a half inches long - and are pinkish-grey in color. Each ovary is connected to the end of your fallopian tubes, connecting them with the rest of your reproductive system.
Ovaries and Ovulation
When you think about your ovaries, you probably immediately associate them with ovulation and reproduction. Well, you are right to make this connection. Your ovaries actually store and release your eggs (also called ova). When fertilized, these eggs develop into your baby. When you are born your ovaries actually contain about one million follicles, each housing an unripened, immature egg. By the time you begin menstruating, you have about 400 000 follicles available for use.
Every month, either your left or right ovary releases an egg to be fertilized. This process is called ovulation, and it is actually part of your menstrual cycle. About 2 weeks before you are due to menstruate, 10 to 20 eggs will begin to ripen inside their follicles. Only one of these eggs will actually be released from their follicle and leave the ovary. It will then begin to travel down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If fertilized, this egg will develop into an embryo.
Hormones and Your Ovaries
Your ovaries don't just store your eggs, they are also responsible for releasing them. Throughout your cycle, your ovaries release female sex hormones including:
  • estrogen
  • progesterone
In order to begin the ovulation process, your ovaries begin producing less estrogen. This drop in estrogen signals your brain to release a special hormone, called gonadatropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The release of GnRH, in turn, triggers the production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which actually gets your eggs maturing. So, without your ovaries' hormone production, you wouldn't have any eggs to release.
Secondary Sex Characteristics and Your Ovaries
Your ovaries aren't just responsible for making sure your eggs are released on a monthly basis. You ovaries also help to develop your secondary sex characteristics, including:
  • breasts
  • hips
  • body hair
  • body fat in buttocks, thighs, waist
The hormones in your ovaries, including estrogen and progesterone, actually contribute to your breast size and shape, the tone of your voice, and other things that make you a woman. If you didn't have enough of these hormones, or if you didn't have your ovaries, some of these sex characteristics would begin to fade.
Ovaries and Age
Your ovaries are just like the rest of your body - they will eventually age. The size of the ovary begins to decline as you grow older and their function will also begin to change. The eggs inside your ovaries will become older and more difficult to fertilize. This is because egg quality declines as you age. You will also have fewer eggs available in your ovarian store. As you near menopause, your ovaries will also begin to produce less and less of the female sex hormones. This will eventually cause you to stop ovulating, and you will be unable to have any more children.
Ovarian Health
Just like any part of your body, your ovaries are susceptible to disease and disorders. These illnesses can often impair the production and hormones and inhibit ovulation, leading to infertility. Ovary problems to watch out for include:
Keeping Your Ovaries Healthy
It is important to take care of your ovaries in order to keep them healthy and happy. Here are some tips on what you can do to stay on top of your ovarian health:
  • Have a pelvic exam every year. Your doctor can make sure that you do not have any abnormal growths or pain in your ovaries during an exam. This can help to catch any disease in its early stages.
  • Quit smoking. Smoking has been linked to all types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.
  • Eat healthy. Avoid highly processed foods whenever possible and focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables. This will keep your system healthy and more able to fight off disease.
  • Learn about ovarian diseases. Know the signs and symptoms of ovarian illness so that you can report it to your health care provider right away.
  • Find out about your family history. Ovarian cancer tends to run in families, so ask relatives on both your mother and father's side if they have had it.

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Kate Jackson Breast Cancer a flash back

    THE MOST MOMENTOUS CHANGE IN Kate Jackson's life began early one morning in January 1987, during her fourth season on the hit TV series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. After a phone call informed her that the show's taping was canceled because costar Bruce Boxleitner had the flu, Jackson went back to sleep. When she woke several hours later, "It was out of the blue, but perfectly clear," she recalls. "I sat up in bed and literally said, 'You have to have a mammogram.' " She did, and two days later a biopsy confirmed her vague fears: A minute growth found in her left breast was determined to be malignant. "I was forced to face, squared up, my own mortality," says Jackson. "I had to decide whether I wanted to live or to die. And if you choose life, as I did, it's never the same." For three TV seasons 16 years ago, she was famous as Sabrina Duncan, a girl-next-door gone glamorous and the character critics dubbed the brainiest o
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    "Hard nipples" - areola or nipple skin

    Someone once wrote"... when i get really cold, or get goosebumbs all over my body, the whole things really scrunch up, like, my entire areola scrunches itself up into a wrinkled little mound. it looks really weird and ugly, and i haven't ever seen other people's breasts do it. what is wrong with my areola/nipples??" The answer: Well nothing is wrong. This is what my areola does too. It's a normal reaction to the coldness or to irritation / stimulation. The little muscles in the areola do a similar goosebump thing as your other skin can do. People often call this phenomenon "hard nipples". Also note that skin on areola has less feeling or sensation to it than other areas of your body. If the areola was very sensitive, then breastfeeding would probably be quite uncomfortable because the baby pulls and tugs it! The nipples are sensitive but the sensitivity changes with hormonal changes, such as occur at mestrual cycle or pregnancy. Also this v
    8 comments
    Read more

    The four stages of breast development

    In Stage 1 shows the flat breasts of childhood. By Stage 2, breast buds are formed as milk ducts and fat tissue develop. In Stage 3, the breast become round and full, and the areola darkens. Stage 4 shows fully mature breasts. (Illustration by GGS Information Services.) period begins. Usually these signs are accompanied by the appearance of pubic hair and hair under the arms. Once ovulation and  menstruation  begin, the maturing of the breasts begins with the formation of secretory glands at the end of the milk ducts. The breasts and duct system continue to grow and mature with the development of many glands and lobules. The rate at which breasts grow varies significantly and is different for each young woman. Breast development occurs in five stages: Stage One: In preadolescence, the breasts are flat and only the tip of the nipple is raised. Stage Two: Buds appear, breast and nipple are raised, fat tissue begins to form and the areola (dark area of skin that surrounds
    1 comment
    Read more