What do female ovaries look like?

The ovaries are important reproductive organs of women. Every month, the ovaries regularly ovulate and secrete estrogen and progesterone. People only know that the ovaries are located in the female abdomen and connected to the uterus. Only people in the medical profession know the specific shape and location of the ovaries. Next, let’s give you some basic information about what a girl’s ovaries look like, as well as the ovarian environment and location, so that you can better understand the composition of a girl’s body.

There is one ovary on each side, which is gray-red, tough, flat and oval in shape, with a convex surface. The surface is smooth in young girls, but after sexual maturity, the surface often becomes uneven due to the enlargement of the follicles and scarring after ovulation. The size and shape of the ovaries also vary with age. In the same person, the left and right ovaries are not the same, and the left side is usually larger than the right side. The average length of an adult ovary is 2.93cm on the left and 2.88cm on the right; the average width is 1.48cm on the left and 1.38cm on the right; the average thickness is 0.82cm on the left and 0.83cm on the right; the weight of the ovary is 3-4g. The ovaries begin to shrink gradually between the ages of 35 and 45, and after menopause, they can gradually shrink to 1/2 of their original volume. The size of an adult's ovary is usually about the size of a person's thumb. Due to repeated ovulation in the ovaries, the follicles rupture and shrink, and are replaced by connective tissue, so their essence gradually becomes hard.

The ovaries are intraperitoneal organs. It is completely wrapped by the posterior leaf of the broad ligament of the uterus to form the ovarian bursa. The peritoneal folds between the ovary and the broad ligament of the uterus are called the mesovarium. The ovarian mesentery is very short and contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves that pass through it to the ovaries. The ovaries are highly mobile, and their position is often affected by the fullness of the large intestine. It is usually located in the ovarian fossa and connected to the peritoneum of the pelvic side wall on the outside. The ovarian fossa is located in the angle between the origins of the internal and external iliac arteries, with the umbilical artery cord in front and the ureter and internal iliac artery in the back. The floor of the ovarian fossa is composed of the obturator internus muscle and the pelvic fascia and peritoneal wall covering its surface. The obturator vessels and nerves pass through the extraperitoneal tissue at the bottom of the ovarian fossa. The location of the fetal ovaries is similar to that of the male testicles, located near the waist and kidneys. The ovaries of newborns are located higher and slightly oblique. The ovaries of adults are located low, with their long axis nearly vertical. The end of the fallopian tube is located slightly below the plane of the upper opening of the pelvis, near the external iliac vein, just opposite the sacroiliac joint. The cervical opening is downward, slightly above the pelvic floor peritoneum, and connected to the outer corner of the uterus. The mesenteric margin is located posterior to the umbilical artery cord. The free edge is located in front of the ureter. The ovaries of older women are located lower. The position of the ovaries may be affected by the position of the uterus. When the uterus tilts to the left, the left ovary moves slightly downward and the end of the uterus turns slightly inward; when it tilts to the right, the opposite is true. The fallopian tube end of the ovary and the upper part of its posterior edge are covered by the fallopian tube fimbria and fallopian tube infundibulum.

The ovarian microenvironment refers to the development and maturity of the ovaries, whether the tissue and cell structure of the ovaries is intact, the number of primordial follicles in the ovaries, whether the primordial follicles can develop and mature and ovulate, the thickness of the ovarian serosa and whether the mature eggs can be successfully discharged, pelvic inflammation and adhesions, the function of ovarian hormone-secreting cells, the level and proportion of sex hormones in the body, the function and regulation of peripheral nerves, the function of the microvascular system and blood supply (supply of oxygen, nutrients, and removal of cellular metabolic products), etc. These factors together constitute the ovarian microenvironment. The ovarian microenvironment affects the maturity of the released follicles. Regulating the ovarian microenvironment can help improve the quality of released follicles and increase the chance of conception.