MamasHealth.com Home Organs and Glands Adrenal Appendix Bladder Brain Digestive system Eye Gall Bladder Heart Intestine Kidney Liver Lungs Organ donors Organ transplants Ovaries Pancreas Prostate Spleen Stomach Thyroid Links Bone marrow donor Medicare Part D Body lift surgery Email Mama Sign up for the MamasHealth Newsletter	What are ovaries? The ovaries are a pair of female reproductive organs. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries are connected to each other by the Fallopian tubes. Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond. The ovaries have two functions: they produce eggs (also called ova) and female hormones. The size of each ovary is about 1.5 inches long. Each month, during the menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one ovary. The egg travels from the ovary through a fallopian tube to the uterus. The ovaries are the main source of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone). These hormones control the development of female body characteristics, such as the breasts, body shape, and body hair. The ovaries also regulate the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. What is estrogen? Estrogen is a group of female sex hormones that stimulate the appearnce of secondary female sex characteristics in girls at puberty. Estrogen controls controls the growth of the lining of the uterus during the first part of the menstral cycle, cause breast development in pregnancy and regulates various metabolic processes. Diseases associated with Ovaries? The ovary may be the site of several disease conditions. Some of the possible diseases are acute and chronic inflammation, tumors, cancer, and cysts. Read about ovarian cancer
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