What Is the Average Size of a Woman’s Ovaries?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 03, 2020

A woman’s ovaries are usually 3 to 5 centimeters wide. Ovaries do not stay the same size throughout a woman’s life and fluctuate based on her hormone levels and age.

Ovaries are largest when a woman is in her childbearing years. Before her first menstruation, ovaries are 3 centimeters long by 2 centimeters wide and are 1 centimeter thick on average. After menopause the ovaries begin to shrink to the size of an almond or even smaller. They shift position and gradually drift behind the uterus. It is normal for some women’s ovaries eventually to become so small that inspection by pelvic exam is no longer possible.