Ovary Stock Image

A female reproductive organ in which ova or eggs are produced, present in humans and other vertebrates as a pair. An ovarian follicle is a roughly spheroid cellular aggregation set found in the ovaries. It secretes hormones that influence stages of the menstrual cycle. Women begin puberty with about 400,000 follicles, each with the potential to release an egg cell (ovum) at ovulation for fertilization. These eggs are developed only once every menstrual cycle.