Ovarian cancer

What are the ovaries and what do they do?

The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. They are two small oval-shaped organs on each side of your womb in your lower abdomen (pelvis). 

Each month, if you are fertile, an egg is made in one of your ovaries. The egg leaves your ovary and passes down a tube called the fallopian tube to your womb. If the egg is not fertilised by sperm, it leaves your womb with the lining of the womb. This happens as part of a monthly cycle known as a period (menstruation). The ovaries make the female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, which control your periods. 

You are fertile from the age when periods starts (puberty) to when they stop (menopause). During the menopause less hormones are made, so periods gradually stop.