Gonads, Female: Major Pathologies

The gonad is the organ that produces gametes. Sex determination is the primary event that governs the development of gonads as testes or as ovaries. In males, the gonad generates the testes, and in females, the ovaries. Male sexual differentiation is characterized by the presence of the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and encodes the testis determining factor. When that gene is absent from the Y chromosome, ovaries develop in females. Gonads originally arise from the mesothelial layer of the peritoneum.

The female gonad (ovaries) comes in a pair of tiny glands located on each side of the uterus in the female pelvic cavity. Ovaries are glandular organs about the size and shape of an almond. Their function is dual: produce female ...