The topic of Matsumi Ladies Clinic Mita English blog in November is about eggs and ovaries.

In the second part, I create an article about the ovarian functions.

Knowing the ovarian functions is helpful, especially for a would-be-mum.

Please read on to find surprising facts of ovaries!

 

The ovary is a female reproductive organ.

The number of major functions of ovaries is three.

First, they protect eggs until the female is ready to use them.

Secondly, they produce the female’s reproductive hormones.

A significant change of female bodies is a typical example, such as enlargement of breasts and hips.

The third is that ovaries release eggs in each menstrual cycle.

 

How many eggs does a baby girl have when she is born?

She has about 2,000,000 eggs in the ovaries.

Four hundred eggs among them are released in her lifetime.

 

However, as females get older, the ageing of the eggs progresses.

The quality of eggs declines and deteriorates over time.

Comparing early 20s women with early 40s women, 90% of the youngers’ eggs are workable, while only 10% of the olders’ are viable.

That is partially why egg freezing is widespread nowadays.

 

Some females decide to have a baby at old ages as lifetime get longer.

Also, egg donation is not rare in recent years.

 

Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the ovaries.

Do you remember that Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed?

It was a preventive measure as her mother died of ovarian cancer, and her doctor estimated that the actress had a high risk of ovarian cancer in her lifetime.