Can the Ovaries Be Felt After Menopause?

The reproductive cycle of a woman changes throughout her lifetime. Younger women anticipate the changes that menstruation will bring. Women in their childbearing years consider decisions of beginning a family. Women later in life face the changes that menopause brings. Some of these changes bring questions about how our bodies function and what to expect during menopause.

What are Ovaries?

• The ovaries are a small pair of glands, one on each side, that produce female hormones and eggs. Ovaries make up part of a woman's reproductive system. Each month one ovary releases an egg, which is carried through the fallopian tube to the uterus. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm, it becomes a human embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, the woman experiences menstruation, and the contents of the uterus is shed. Each month, this cycle is repeated.

What is Menopause?

• Later in life, generally beginning in the early 50s, the ovaries begin to slow down. Their production of hormones like estrogen and progesterone decreases, menstrual periods become less regular and other symptoms like hot flashes, forgetfulness and sleep disturbances may appear. When a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 continuous months, she is said to be in menopause. This marks an end to menstruation and fertility, and the ovaries cease to function as before. This period may also be called the "change of life."

Other Causes

• Menopause is a normal part of the aging process for women. There are additional processes that can initiate menopause for women, other than aging. These include chemotherapy, surgical removal of the ovaries or other physical conditions that disrupt the normal balance of female hormones in the body.

Ovaries After Menopause

• Unless the ovaries have been surgically removed, they are still present in the body and can be palpated and examined by your health-care professional. Women who have gone through menopause still see their doctors for regular physical examinations. The ovaries continue to produce small amounts of hormones even after menopause, and these hormones contribute to overall health.

Mittelschmerz

• "Mittelschmerz" is a German word meaning "middle pain," and this is a feeling in the ovaries familiar to many women who have not yet gone through menopause. Once a month, when the ovary releases its egg to be carried through the fallopian tubes, some women experience a sharp cramping pain on one side of the abdomen. The symptoms are generally short-lived, not debilitating, and occur on alternating sides each month. The Mayo Clinic reports that about one in five women experience mittelschmerz .This pain is thought to coincide with the rupture of the egg from the ovary. Mittelschmerz occurs about halfway through the menstrual cycle, at the time of ovulation. While mittelschmerz is not generally considered serious, any abdominal pain is worth asking your doctor about, and severe pain at any time of the month warrants a call to the doctor. Women who no longer produce an egg each month would not typically feel the sensation of mittelschmerz.