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Ovary

 
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"Ovaria" redirects here. This is also a proposed section
Section (botany)

In botany, a section is a low-level taxonomic rank directly below subgenus. See rank and rank . It is typically used to help organize very large genus, which may have hundreds of species....
 and a synonym
Synonym

Synonyms are different words with identical or very similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy....
 of Solanum
Solanum

Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual plant and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, sub-shrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers....
.


The ovary is an ovum
Ovum

An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization....
-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
 female
Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ovum . The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male....
 reproductive system
Reproductive system

The reproductive system is a system of Organ within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system....
. Ovaries in females are homologous
Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
 to testes
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 in males, in that they are both gonad
Gonad

The gonad is the organ that makes gametes. The gonads in males are the testes and the gonads in females are the ovaries. The product, gametes, are haploid germ cells....
s and endocrine glands.
ies are oval shaped and, in the human, measure approximately 3 cm x 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm (about the size of a Greek olive).






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"Ovaria" redirects here. This is also a proposed section
Section (botany)

In botany, a section is a low-level taxonomic rank directly below subgenus. See rank and rank . It is typically used to help organize very large genus, which may have hundreds of species....
 and a synonym
Synonym

Synonyms are different words with identical or very similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy....
 of Solanum
Solanum

Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual plant and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, sub-shrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers....
.


The ovary is an ovum
Ovum

An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization....
-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
 female
Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ovum . The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male....
 reproductive system
Reproductive system

The reproductive system is a system of Organ within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system....
. Ovaries in females are homologous
Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
 to testes
Testicle

The testicle is the male gonad in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.The etymology of the word is somewhat colorfully based on Roman law....
 in males, in that they are both gonad
Gonad

The gonad is the organ that makes gametes. The gonads in males are the testes and the gonads in females are the ovaries. The product, gametes, are haploid germ cells....
s and endocrine glands.

Human anatomy

Ovaries are oval shaped and, in the human, measure approximately 3 cm x 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm (about the size of a Greek olive). The ovary (for a given side) is located in the lateral wall of the pelvis in a region called the ovarian fossa
Ovarian fossa

The ovary lies in a shallow depression, named the ovarian fossa, on the lateral wall of the pelvis.This fossa has the following boundaries:* anteriorly: by the external iliac vessels...
. The fossa usually lies beneath the external iliac artery
External iliac artery

The external ilium artery is a large artery in the pelvic region that carries blood to the lower limb.The external iliac artery is a paired artery, meaning there is one on each side of the body: a right external iliac artery and left external iliac artery....
 and in front of the ureter
Ureter

In human anatomy, the ureters are muscular ducts that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In the adult, the ureters are usually long....
 and the internal iliac artery
Internal iliac artery

The internal iliac artery is the main artery of the pelvis....
.

Each ovary is then attached to the fimbria of the fallopian Tube
Fallopian tube

The Fallopian tubes, named after Gabriel Fallopius , also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges are two very fine tubes lined with cilia epithelia, leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus....
. Usually each ovary takes turns releasing eggs every month; however, if there was a case where one ovary was absent or dysfunctional then the other ovary would continue providing eggs to be released.

Ligaments

In the human the paired ovaries lie within the pelvic cavity, on either side of the uterus
Uterus

The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
, to which they are attached via a fibrous cord called the ovarian ligament
Ovarian ligament

The ovarian ligament is a fibrous ligament that connects the ovary to the lateral surface of the uterus.This ligament should not be confused with the suspensory ligament of the ovary, which extends from the ovary in the other direction....
. The ovaries are uncovered in the peritoneal cavity
Peritoneal cavity

The peritoneal cavity is a potential space between the parietal peritoneum and visceral peritoneum. It is one of the spaces derived from the coelomic cavity of the embryo, the others being the pleural cavities and the pericardial cavity....
 but are tethered to the body wall via the suspensory ligament of the ovary
Suspensory ligament of the ovary

The suspensory ligament of the ovary, also infundibulopelvic ligament , is a fold of peritoneum that extends out from the ovary to the wall of the pelvis....
. The part of the broad ligament of the uterus
Broad ligament of the uterus

The broad ligament of the uterus is the wide fold of peritoneum that connects the sides of the uterus to the walls and floor of the pelvis....
 that covers the ovary is known as the mesovarium
Mesovarium

The mesovarium is the portion of the broad ligament of the uterus that covers the ovary.At first the mesonephros and genital ridge are suspended by a common mesentery, but as the embryo grows the genital ridge gradually becomes pinched off from the mesonephros, with which it is at first continuous, though it still remains connected to the r...
.

Extremities

There are two extremities to the ovary:
  • The end to which the uterine tube attach is called the tubal extremity.
  • The other extremity is called the uterine extremity. It points downward, and it is attached to the uterus
    Uterus

    The uterus is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation....
     via the ovarian ligament.


Histology


Cell Types
  • Follicular Cells - flat epithelial cells that originate from surface epithelium covering the ovary
  • granulosa cells - surrounding follicular cells have change from flat to cuboidal and proliferated to produce a stratified epithelium
  • Gametes
Gray1113
* The outermost layer is called the germinal epithelium
Germinal epithelium (female)

The surface of the ovary is covered by a layer of simple cuboidal cells which constitutes the germinal epithelium of Waldeyer.These cells are derived from the mesoderm during embryonic development and are closely related to the mesothelium of the peritoneum....
.
  • The tunica albuginea
    Tunica albuginea (ovaries)

    On the surface of the ovary this tissue is much condensed, and forms a layer, the tunica albuginea, composed of short connective-tissue fibers, with fusiform cells between them....
     covers the cortex.
  • The ovarian cortex
    Cortex (anatomy)

    In anatomy and zoology the cortex is the outermost layer of an organ . Organs with well-defined cortical layers include kidneys, adrenal glands, ovary, the thymus, and portions of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, the most well-known of all cortices....
     consists of ovarian follicles and stroma
    Stroma of ovary

    The stroma of the ovary is a peculiar soft tissue, abundantly supplied with blood vessels, consisting for the most part of spindle-shaped cells with a small amount of ordinary connective tissue....
     in between them. Included in the follicles are the cumulus oophorus
    Cumulus oophorus

    At one part of the mature follicle, the cells of the membrana granulosa are collected into a mass which projects into the cavity of the follicle. This cluster of cells is termed the cumulus oophorus discus proligerus, and it is released with the embedded oocyte during ovulation....
    , membrana granulosa
    Membrana granulosa

    The larger ovarian follicles consist of an external fibrovascular coat, connected with the surrounding stroma of the ovary by a net-work of bloodvessels; and an internal coat, which consists of several layers of nucleated cells, called the membrana granulosa....
     (and the granulosa cells inside it), corona radiata
    Corona radiata (embryology)

    The corona radiata surround an ovum or unfertilized egg cell, and consist of two or three strata of follicular cells. They are attached to the outer protective layer of the ovum, the zona pellucida, and their main purpose in many animals is to supply vital proteins to the cell....
    , zona pellucida
    Zona pellucida

    The zona pellucida is a glycoprotein membrane surrounding the plasma membrane of an oocyte. It is a vital constitutive part of the latter, external but not extraneous to it....
    , and primary oocyte. The zona pellucida
    Zona pellucida

    The zona pellucida is a glycoprotein membrane surrounding the plasma membrane of an oocyte. It is a vital constitutive part of the latter, external but not extraneous to it....
    , theca of follicle
    Theca of follicle

    The theca folliculi comprise a layer of the ovarian follicles. They appear as the follicles become tertiary follicles.The theca are divided into two layers, the theca interna and the theca externa....
    , antrum
    Follicular antrum

    The follicular antrum is the portion of an ovarian follicle filled with liquor folliculi....
     and liquor folliculi are also contained in the follicle. Also in the cortex is the corpus luteum
    Corpus luteum

    The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals, involved in production of progestogen, which is needed to maintain pregnancy....
     derived from the follicles.
  • The innermost layer is the ovarian medulla. It can be hard to distinguish between the cortex and medulla, but follicles are usually not found in the medulla.


See also


  • Ovarian disease
    Ovarian disease

    Ovarian diseases can be classified as endocrine disorders or as a disorders of the reproductive system.If the egg fails to release from the follicle in the ovary an ovarian cyst may form....


Additional images


External links

  • From the American Medical Association
  • Merck Online Medical Library: Female Reproductive System


See also

  • Oophorectomy
    Oophorectomy

    Oophorectomy is the surgery removal of an ovary or ovaries. In the case of non-human animals, it is also called spaying and is a form of sterilization ....
  • Menopause
    Menopause

    The Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation which occurs a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan.The word was first applied to humans, and because of this it literally means the cessation of monthly cycles or menstrual cycles, from the Greek roots meno and pausis ....
  • Ovum
    Ovum

    An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization....
  • Corpus luteum
    Corpus luteum

    The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals, involved in production of progestogen, which is needed to maintain pregnancy....
  • Cervix
    Cervix

    The cervix is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall....
  • Vagina
    Vagina

    The vagina is a fibromuscular cylinder tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles....