The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary found on each side of the body. The ovaries also secrete hormones that play a role in the menstrual cycle and fertility. The ovary progresses through many stages beginning in the prenatal period through menopause. It is also an endocrine gland because of the various hormones that it secretes.
Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. The age of menopause varies but it usually occurs between 45 and 55. Medical professionals often define menopause as having occurred when a woman has not had any menstrual bleeding for a year. It may also be defined by a decrease in hormone production by the ovaries. In those who have had surgery to remove their uterus but still have functioning ovaries, menopause is not considered to have yet occurred. Following the removal of the uterus, symptoms of menopause typically occur earlier. Iatrogenic menopause occurs when both ovaries are surgically removed along with uterus for medical reasons.
Estradiol (E2), also spelled oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone. It is involved in the regulation of the estrous and menstrual female reproductive cycles. Estradiol is responsible for the development of female secondary sexual characteristics such as the breasts, widening of the hips and a female-associated pattern of fat distribution. It is also important in the development and maintenance of female reproductive tissues such as the mammary glands, uterus and vagina during puberty, adulthood and pregnancy. It also has important effects in many other tissues including bone, fat, skin, liver, and the brain.
Oophorectomy, historically also called ovariotomy is the surgical removal of an ovary or ovaries. The surgery is also called ovariectomy, but this term is mostly used in reference to animals, e.g. the surgical removal of ovaries from laboratory animals. Removal of the ovaries of females is the biological equivalent of castration of males; the term castration is only occasionally used in the medical literature to refer to oophorectomy of women. In veterinary medicine, the removal of ovaries and uterus is called ovariohysterectomy (spaying) and is a form of sterilization.
Hot flashes are a form of flushing, often caused by the changing hormone levels that are characteristic of menopause. They are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and may typically last from two to 30 minutes for each occurrence.
Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) or testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) is a condition in older men characterized by measurably low testosterone levels and clinical symptoms mostly of a sexual nature, including decreased desire for sex, fewer spontaneous erections, and erectile dysfunction. It is the result of a gradual drop in testosterone; a steady decline in testosterone levels of about 1% per year can happen and is well documented in both men and women.
PLOS Medicine is a peer-reviewed weekly medical journal covering the full spectrum of the medical sciences. It began operation on October 19, 2004, as the second journal of the Public Library of Science (PLOS), a non-profit open access publisher. All content in PLOS Medicine is published under the Creative Commons "by-attribution" license. To fund the journal, the publication's business model requires in most cases that authors pay publication fees. The journal was published online and in a printed format until 2005 and is now only published online. The journal's acting chief editor is Clare Stone, who replaced the previous chief editor, Larry Peiperl, in 2018.
The Annals of Emergency Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of emergency medicine care. It is the official journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and is published on their behalf by Elsevier. The editor-in-chief is Donald M. Yealy. It was established in 1972 as the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians and obtained its current title in 1980.
Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the partial or total loss of reproductive and hormonal function of the ovaries before age 40 because of folliclular dysfunction or early loss of eggs. POI can be seen as part of a continuum of changes leading to menopause that differ from age-appropriate menopause in the age of onset, degree of symptoms, and sporadic return to normal ovarian function. POI affects approximately 1 in 10,000 women under age 20, 1 in 1,000 women under age 30, and 1 in 100 of those under age 40. A medical triad for the diagnosis is amenorrhea, hypergonadotropism, and hypoestrogenism.
Estropipate, also known as piperazine estrone sulfate and sold under the brand names Harmogen, Improvera, Ogen, Ortho-Est, and Sulestrex among others, is an estrogen medication which is used mainly in menopausal hormone therapy in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. It is a salt of estrone sulfate and piperazine, and is transformed into estrone and estradiol in the body. It is taken by mouth.
The Journal of Clinical Microbiology is a monthly medical journal published by the American Society for Microbiology. The journal was established in 1975. The editor-in-chief is Alexander J. McAdam. It is a delayed open access journal. Full text content is available free after a six-month embargo.
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics is a medical journal of the pseudoscientific medical discipline of chiropractic. It is published by Mosby on behalf of the American Chiropractic Association, of which it is an official journal.
The Journal of Medical Entomology is a peer-review bimonthly scientific journal published by Oxford University Press for the Entomological Society of America. The journal publishes reports on all aspects of medical entomology and medical acarology. According to the Journal Citation Reports the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 1.953.
The Journal of Medical Ethics is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of bioethics that was established in 1975 and is published by BMJ. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2019 impact factor of 2.021, ranking it fourth out of 16 journals in the category "Medical Ethics" and 11th out of 55 journals in the category "Ethics".
Climacteric is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal that covers all aspects of aging in women, especially during the menopause. As the official journal of the International Menopause Society, Climacteric also publishes position statements and workshop proceedings from the society.
The Journal of Pakistan Medical Association is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Pakistan Medical Association. It publishes editorials, original articles, case reports, and letters concerning medicine and health practices. The editor-in-chief is Fatema Jawad.
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), founded in 1989, is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization with the mission of promoting the health and quality of life of women during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, NAMS has more than 2,800 members from 51 countries, with 88% of its members from North America.Its membership includes experts from many disciplines such as medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacy, and education.
Atrophic vaginitis is inflammation of the vagina as a result of tissue thinning due to not enough estrogen. Symptoms may include pain with sex, vaginal itchiness or dryness, and an urge to urinate or burning with urination. It generally does not resolve without ongoing treatment. Complications may include urinary tract infections.
Maturitas is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering midlife and post-reproductive health. It was established in 1978 and is the official journal of the European Menopause and Andropause Society; it is also affiliated with the Australasian Menopause Society. It is published by Elsevier and the editors-in-chief are Irene Lambrinoudaki and Leon Flicker. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2020 impact factor of 4.342.
Alastair Harvey MacLennan,, MB ChB, MD, FRCOG, FRANZCOG is a Scottish-Australian physician, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, medical researcher, and a community health advocate. He studied and practised medicine in Glasgow, Chicago, and Oxford before moving to Australia in 1977 to take up a position at the University of Adelaide, where he went on to become the Professor and Head of the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2006. He retired from his full-time academic position in 2013, and he is now Emeritus Professor of Medicine. He leads research projects at the Robinson Research Institute, and he is Head of the university's Cerebral Palsy Research Group.
