Oophorectomy is a surgical procedure that removes one or both of your ovaries. Your ovaries are small almond-shaped organs on each side of the uterus (womb) in your pelvis. Your ovaries contain eggs and produce the hormones that control your menstrual cycle.
Oophorectomy can be done alone but it is often performed as part of a larger surgery, such as a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the womb). Oophorectomy may also be done with a salpingectomy, which is a surgery to remove your fallopian tubes. This is because the ovaries and fallopian tubes share a common blood supply. When these two procedures are combined, it is called a salpingo-oophorectomy.