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Ovary: anatomy, location and function

The ovary is the female gonad, which produces oocytes and the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Follicles in the ovary mature each cycle and release an oocyte at ovulation. The follicle and later the corpus luteum secrete oestrogen and progesterone.

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Highlighted in the model: Ovary. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Ovary at a glance

What it is
The ovary is the female gonad, which produces oocytes and the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
Location
Each ovary lies on the lateral wall of the pelvis in the ovarian fossa, attached to the back of the broad ligament.
Function
Follicles in the ovary mature each cycle and release an oocyte at ovulation. The follicle and later the corpus luteum secrete oestrogen and progesterone.
Body system
Reproductive · paired (left and right) · female body
FMA ID
FMA7214 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • It is almond-shaped, about 2–3 cm long.
  • It is held by the mesovarium, the suspensory ligament (carrying its vessels) and the ovarian ligament to the uterus.
  • The ovarian artery arises from the abdominal aorta at about L2; the left ovarian vein drains to the left renal vein and the right to the inferior vena cava.
  • Its surface is covered by a simple epithelium, not by peritoneum.

Clinical relevance

Ovarian torsion is a surgical emergency. Ovarian cancer often spreads in the peritoneal cavity before it causes symptoms.

Structures next to the ovary

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Ovary (FMA7214). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §27.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ovarian Reproductive System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.