Health Topic

Ovarian Disorders

Ovarian disorders that affect women's health include cancer, cysts, polycystic ovary syndrome, and ovarian torsion. Learn more about ovarian health.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Ovarian Disorders

The ovaries are a pair of female reproductive glands that make eggs and female hormones. Women have one ovary on each side of the uterus (where a fetus grows during pregnancy). Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond.

Ovaries play a role in menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Your ovaries:

  • Produce and store eggs that are released during ovulation (when an egg leaves the ovary and travels into the fallopian tube). If a sperm fertilizes the egg, you can become pregnant.
  • Make the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
  • Stop making those hormones and releasing eggs during menopause.

Some medical problems can affect the ovaries. These can cause various symptoms, and some ovarian disorders may need prompt treatment.

Some problems that can happen with the ovaries can include:

  • Ovarian cancer is when a cancerous tumor forms in the tissues of an ovary.
  • Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs in or on an ovary.
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a set of symptoms related to an imbalance of hormones.
  • Primary ovarian insufficiency is when your ovaries stop working before age 40.
  • Ovarian torsion is a twisting of the ovary.
  • Endometriosis is when tissue like the lining in your uterus grows in other places in your body. It may affect the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and tissue lining the pelvis.
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection and inflammation of the uterus, ovaries, and other female reproductive organs.
  • Ovarian tumors.

Ovarian disorders can happen for different reasons depending on the condition. Sometimes the cause is unknown.

Your symptoms may be different, depending on the problem with your ovaries. Some ovarian disorders, such as ovarian cysts, may cause few or even no symptoms. Other disorders may cause more severe symptoms. Symptoms can include:

  • Pelvic pain, which often happens during your period
  • Nausea or diarrhea
  • Vaginal bleeding that is between periods, very heavy, or longer than usual
  • Vaginal discharge
  • Painful menstrual cramps

To find out if you have a problem with your ovaries, your health care provider:

  • Will ask about your medical history, including your symptoms
  • Will ask about your family health history
  • Will do a physical exam, including a pelvic exam
  • May order imaging tests, or blood tests

Treatment depends on the ovarian disorder, your symptoms, overall health, and plans for pregnancy. Treatment can include medicines, such as pain relievers or hormonal birth control, lifestyle changes to reduce symptoms, or sometimes surgery. Ovarian cancer may require surgery, chemotherapy, or other targeted therapy.

It sits within Women and Female Reproductive System.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Ovarian Disorders

5,796 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Genetics

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Ovarian Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Ovarian Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.