where are the ovaries and what do they do?

Skip the page content navigation if you do not require links to content sections within this page.

Page Content Navigation

Skip the primary navigation if you do not want to read it as the next section.


Primary navigation

home | about cancer | cancer types | tests | treatments | living with cancer | help and support | involving people |

Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.



Each woman has two ovaries. They lie deep within the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus (womb).

Each ovary is linked to the uterus by a fallopian tube.

The ovaries do two main jobs:

  • they make the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which help to control your periods

  • they store your eggs (ova). Each month one of the ovaries releases an egg, which travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus. There, it may be fertilised by male sperm and grow into a baby.




The following page sections include static unchanging site components such as the page banner, useful links and copyright information. Return to the top of page if you want to start again.


Page Extras

Site Map

Skip the main banner if you do not want to read it as the next section.


Page Banner


End of page. You can return to the page content navigation from here.