5 Facts Every Woman Should Know About Her Ovaries

They're small but powerful.

You won't not give your ovaries much thought (unless you're attempting to get pregnant), however regardless of the possibility that you don't consider them on the reg, these walnut-sized organs really assume an immense part in your consistently life. "From a natural point of view, we're put on the Earth to make a greater amount of us, so that sort of makes the ovaries one of our most vital organs," says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical teacher of obstetrics, gynecology, and regenerative sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. Here are five things you didn't think about your best conceptive companions.
1. They Produce a Whole Lot of Hormones

Your ovaries emit estrogen and progesterone, says Minkin. These two hormones are in charge of the advancement of the female body amid pubescence (think boob development, your period, and the extending of your hips). Estrogen and progesterone additionally prepare the uterus for origination—and not delivering enough can prompt to inconvenience getting pregnant. In addition, your ovaries produce your body's supply of testosterone (though in littler sums than the estrogen), which you can thank for your sex drive. (Kick-begin your new, solid routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Head-to-Toe Transformation!)

2. They Change Sizes

Unlike a lot of your organs, your ovaries aren’t static in size; they actually change a lot over the course of your cycle and the course of your lifetime. Month to month, your reproductive powerhouses (which are about three to five centimeters in length normally) will fluctuate as they do their thing, releasing an egg each month. "With ovulation and the likely formation of a small cyst that comes along with it, the ovary can grow a little in size," says Alyssa Dweck, M.D., assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "But that’s only temporary." Those small changes stop when you go through menopause. Once your ovaries officially go out of commission, they’ll literally shrivel up (fun!).

3. They Can Get Stressed Out
"Ovulation is definitely affected by stress," says Dweck. When your bod is under pressure—we’re talking the serious kind that’s brought on by a major life change like moving away to college or a physical change like losing a lot of weight—your ovaries will stop releasing eggs. "Simply put, it’s nature's way of preventing pregnancy during times of stress," says Dweck.

4. They Could Be Behind Your Acne

Since ovaries play such a big role in your hormonal balance, they can be behind hormonally-driven bodily issues. "With certain conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome, the hormone balance of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone becomes really altered," says Dweck. "Excess testosterone symptoms like acne, hair growth in typically male places, and weight fluctuations can be seen." Your doctor can prescribe medication that can help get this under control.

5. They Love the Pill 

Conception prevention—particularly estrogen and progesterone renditions of the Pill—can significantly decrease your danger of ovarian disease inside only a couple of months of beginning, as per the American Cancer Society. The Pill even assumes a critical part in decreasing the hazard in ladies who are transporters of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 quality transformations (which put you at higher hazard for ovarian tumor), says Minkin. "Contraception pills are amazingly successful and can decrease their hazard by up to 50 percent in a few studies," she says. "It's an extremely pleasant defensive element."