This may be a dumb question, but I just found out that I had one of my
ovaries removed during surgery six and a half years ago. My question
is, do I only have half as many eggs as I would have had? I menstruate
every month, but am wondering if I am fertile every month or only
every other month? Or, do I run out of eggs that much sooner? In other
words, how do the ovaries share egg production?

Hello madmartha,

This is indeed an intriguing and very valid question. I did some
research on the subject and here is what I came up with :

The ovaries work on an alternate cycle. Amazingly, having one ovary
does not affect your reproduction on a noticeable level. You are
fertile
each and every month.

According to numerous credible sources, your remaining ovary will
'pick up the job' of the ovary that has been removed. Here is one
source on a prominent women's network that makes reference to your
situation almost perfectly :

Ovarian Cyst - Removal of one ovary need not affect fertility
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/whealth/repro/qas/0,12712,180663_182644,00.html

On the same site there is another article entitled "Only One Ovary".
I found it very useful, as it contains direct answers to your
question.
Here is the article:

Only One Ovary
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/print/0,11301,151480,00.html

To summarize and answer your question - If you are otherwise healthy,
the remaining ovary will be near as productive as two. It is one of
the
many mysteries left for the medical field to figure out as some of the
references I listed will mention.

Here are some more resources to assure you of the accuracy of the
sources I have listed :

Hormone Cycle
(Particularly the section about using only one ovary at a time anyway)
http://onewoman.com/redspot/hormones.html

Healthy Lifestyle (This site says it best - very concise)
http://app.healthylife.org.sg/expert/viewTopic1.asp?TOPIC_ID=537

To find the answer I searched for:
one ovary
one ovary eggs

I hope this answers your question. If you need more clarification,
please ask before rating this answer and I will be glad to help you
further. Our standard
disclaimer for this type of question is to always seek the advice of a
physician. While we strive to offer highly relevant answers, we are
not a substitute for a good old-fashioned doctor :-)

Thanks for the question!
SgtCory

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Clarification of Answer by sgtcory-ga on 24 Oct 2002 22:32 PDT

madmartha,

Firstly - thank you for the generous rating. You went above and beyond
with the tip. Thank you very much.

SgtCory

Extremely fast answer, and comprehensive, too. Included four distinct
references to back up the answer. Thanks!