Yes! There are differences between your right and left ovary! But, a bit of a stretch to say which ovary is really your good ones. Each ovary has about the same number of eggs at birth, each ovary is about the same size, however there are both medical differences and differences in medical conditions that can occur preferentially on one side.Here are some clues, based on medical conditions that occur.
Why were you caring which ovary is best? Are you trying to figure this out based on medical symptoms?Where does it hurt? Right or left? Did you try some of your favorite tea? Still hurting? Well, then it could be an ovarian cyst, which you can get diagnosed by your gyno with a pelvic examination or an ultrasound. So, what happens next if you are found to have one? We know that many cysts will go away on their own, and if not, treatments such as birth control and/or surgery are available and can be discussed with your gyno. But, why do they just disappear? And does it matter which side the cysts are on? And could it be that you can predict the fate of ovarian cysts based on which ovary is your good one?
A study done at the University of Missouri-KC looked a bit more into what the fate of these cysts are and found that it’s not just based on looks and size. They found that right sided ovarian cysts are more likely to dissolve than left sided ones! So, left sided cysts are more likely to require treatment. This is due to the differences in the left and right ovary. In fact, there are a lot of differences between the left and right ovary, such as:
- Different blood flow – There is slower blood flow in the left ovary in comparison to the right. This is because the left ovarian vein carries blood to the left renal vein, which is at a high pressure, so the blood flow is slower since less blood will want to flow into a high pressure vein. This also causes an effect on ovulation, as explained below.
- Different ovulation rates – It’s been found that your right ovary tends to ovulate a little bit more than your left. This is because of the slower blood flow on the left that causes the corpus luteum to take longer to diminish, slowing the process of ovulation in the left ovary.
- Pregnancy – Because of the factors above, right side ovulation is more likely to favor pregnancy. Since the right is ovulating more, it therefore has a higher chance of releasing the egg that will become fertilized and develop into a fetus.
- Ovarian Cyst Torsions – A torsion is when a cyst becomes large enough (typically 4 cm or larger) to move the ovary out of its usual place. This could involve twisting around the ovary/fallopian tube. The chances of this happening are greater for the right ovary because of the left ovary’s position. The left ovary is near the sigmoid colon and so its movement is more restricted than the right ovary.
- The rate of endometriosis – Endometriosis is found to be more common in the left ovary than in the right ovary.
As seen above, there are a significant number of differences between the right and left ovary, which can have an effect on your treatment plan. If you have ovarian cysts that aren’t going away, it’s best to discuss with your gyno your treatment plan, keeping these differences in mind, so you can be aware what else you might be at risk to, depending on the location of the cysts. We say call www.womenshealthpractice.com to get seen by a gyno if you have questions!
