The ovaries are a pair of glands. They're part of the female reproductive system. But what do they do, exactly? Let's take a moment to learn about them.
Healthy ovaries are small and oval-shaped. You have one on each side of your uterus (that's your womb). They're held by ligaments that keep them near the fallopian tubes. But they're not attached to these tubes.
The ovaries have a few jobs. First, they make and store egg cells. At puberty, the ovaries start to release eggs. Usually, once a month an egg is released. It's swept into a fallopian tube. There, it can be fertilized by sperm from your partner. Then it can implant in the uterus. When this happens, you become pregnant. The ovaries' other job is to make and release hormones. These are "estrogen" and "progesterone." They affect your sexual and reproductive health. At menopause, your ovaries stop releasing eggs and making hormones. This can affect other systems, too. This includes your bones, your cardiovascular system and your central nervous system.
Sometimes ovaries don't work properly. Or, we need to remove one or both of them. If so, you may have problems getting pregnant. You may experience menopause. And you may have problems like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. We can give you hormones to help with these issues. For more info, talk to your doctor.