Meaning & use
oophorectomy
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountablemedical
A surgical operation to remove one or both ovaries.
Grammar: Can be a general term or a specific operation: she had an oophorectomy.
Patterns
- an oophorectomy for something
- have an oophorectomy
She had an oophorectomy after doctors found a large cyst.
A bilateral oophorectomy can bring on early menopause.
Her surgeon explained the risks of an oophorectomy before the operation.
Word forms
| plural | oophorectomies |
|---|
Common combinations
- bilateral oophorectomy
- A bilateral oophorectomy removes both ovaries.
- undergo an oophorectomy
- She chose to undergo an oophorectomy to lower her cancer risk.
- laparoscopic oophorectomy
- A laparoscopic oophorectomy usually means a shorter recovery.
- preventive oophorectomy
- Some women with a family history consider a preventive oophorectomy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ovariectomy
- Ovariectomy means the same operation and is more common in veterinary medicine and some countries.
- ovary removal
- Ovary removal is the plain-language phrase patients use, while oophorectomy is the medical term.
- hysterectomy
- A hysterectomy is a different operation that removes the uterus, though the two are sometimes done together.
Word family
- oophorectomize verb
- to remove the ovaries surgically, a rare technical word
- oophoritis noun
- inflammation of an ovary
- salpingo-oophorectomy noun
- removal of an ovary and its fallopian tube
- ovary noun
- the organ that produces eggs
Commonly confused: oophorectomy or hysterectomy? oophorectomy or oophoroplasty?
oophorectomy vs hysterectomy
A hysterectomy removes the uterus, while an oophorectomy removes the ovaries.
oophorectomy vs oophoroplasty
Oophoroplasty is plastic surgery on the ovary, not its removal.
Practice
Which operation removes one or both ovaries?
Choose one answer.
Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries. Hysterectomy removes the uterus, which is a tempting but different organ.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oophorectomy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.