I had my right ovary and tube removed in June 1998. When you lose an ovary, exactly how does your body respond to the loss of estrogen?

S.S.

When you lose one ovary, the other kicks right in to take up the slack. Estrogen production involves only one ovary at a time; it comes from the dominant follicle that is formed each month to nurture an egg up to the point of ovulation. After ovulation, the follicle produces progesterone to support implantation of the embryo. When you have two ovaries, ovulation varies randomly from side to side, occurring on one side for a month or two and then the other. When one ovary is removed, you just ovulate from the remaining ovary each month. This means that the loss of an ovary should in no way affect overall estrogen levels.