What does ovariectomy mean?
An ovariectomy is the surgical removal of one ovary. When both ovaries are removed, the procedure is called a bilateral ovariectomy, although the unqualified term may also be used more generally in clinical speech. The word is a formal medical term assembled from “ovari-,” referring to the ovary, and the Greek-derived suffix “-ectomy,” meaning excision or cutting out. Ovariectomy is closely related to, and often interchangeable with, “oophorectomy,” but clarity improves when unilateral or bilateral removal is specified. It may be performed as part of cancer treatment or following severe ovarian disease, torsion, or injury. Removing one ovary generally leaves the other functioning, whereas bilateral removal has different reproductive and long-term health consequences. For general readers, “ovariectomy” identifies the operation precisely without the broader implications of terms such as “castration,” while the modifiers “unilateral” and “bilateral” indicate how many ovaries were removed.
nounSurgical removal of one or both ovaries. Removal of both ovaries is specifically called a bilateral ovariectomy.
- The surgical removal of an ovary or the ovaries.
"She underwent a left ovariectomy after a benign cyst was discovered on her ovary."
"The surgery involved a unilateral ovariectomy and left the opposite ovary intact."
"A bilateral ovariectomy was performed as part of her treatment for ovarian cancer."
The plural is regular and refers to multiple ovariectomy procedures.
"The study compared outcomes after ovarectomies performed for benign and malignant ovarian disease."
Read the ending as a surgical instruction: “-ectomy” means “cutting out,” so ovariectomy literally describes the excision of an ovary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ovariectomy come from?
The term was formed in medical Latin from ovari-, the combining form of Latin ovarium, meaning “ovary,” and -ectomy, from Greek ektomē, meaning “excision” or “cutting out.” The Latin ovarium in turn derives from ovum, meaning “egg.” The same Latin egg-word lineage is reflected in English words such as ovary, ovarian, and ovule.
Related word forms
How ovariectomy is actually used
This is a formal clinical and surgical term used in oncology, gynaecology, and emergency medicine. The modifiers unilateral and bilateral specify whether one ovary or both are removed.
Easily confused with ovariectomy
Oophorectomy is a close and often interchangeable term, while ovariectomy is commonly used for removal of one ovary and bilateral ovariectomy explicitly specifies removal of both.
An ovariotomy is an incision into an ovary, historically used for procedures such as biopsy, rather than surgical removal of the organ.