Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries of a female animal. In the case of non-human animals, this is also called spaying. It is a form of sterilization.
The removal of the ovaries together with the Fallopian tubes is called salpingo-oophorectomy. Oophorectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy are not common forms of birth control in humans; more usual is tubal ligation, in which the Fallopian tubes are blocked but the ovaries remain intact.
In humans, oophorectomy is most usually performed together with a hysterectomy - the removal of the uterus. Its use in a hysterectomy when there are no other health problems is somewhat controversial.
In animals, spaying involves an invasive removal of the ovaries, but rarely has major complications; the superstition that it causes weight gain is not based on fact. Spaying is especially important for certain animals that require the ovum to be released at a certain interval (called estrus or "heat"), such as cats and dogs. If the cell is not released during these animal's heat, it can cause severe medical problems that can be averted by spaying or partnering the animal with a male.
Oophorectomy is sometimes referred to as castration, but that term is most often used to mean the removal of a male animal's testicles.
See also
August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 136 days remaining.
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2005 calendar |
Events
1800-1899
1900-1999
- 1914 - World War I: The German army of General Hermann von Francois defeats the Russian force commanded by Pavel Rennenkampf at the Battle of Stalluponen.
- 1915 - Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1943 - World War II: The US 7th Army under General George S. Patton arrive in Messina, Italy followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily.
- 1945 - Indonesia proclaims itself independent from the Netherlands.
- 1953 - Addiction: First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California.
- 1960 - Gabon gains independence from France.
- 1962 - East German border guards kill 18-year-old Peter Fechter as he attempts to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin. He thus became the first victim of the wall
- 1969 - Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the Mississippi coast killing 248 people and causing US$1.5 billion in damage (1969 dollars).
- 1970 - Venera program: Venera 7 is launched. It will later becomes the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet, Venus.
- 1978 - Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
- 1979 - Two Soviet Aeroflot jetliners collide in mid-air over Ukraine killing 156
- 1988 - Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq and US Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
- 1996 - Alan Shearer Makes debut for Newcastel United after a then record £15m move from Rivals Blackburn Rovers
- 1998 - Monica Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about his relationship.
- 1999 - A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes northwestern Turkey, killing more than 17,000 and injuring 44,000.
- 2002 - In Santa Rosa, California, the Charles M. Schulz Museum opens to the public.
- 2004 - MD5 collision found by Chinese researchers.
- 2004 - The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Boze Pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
Births
1600-1899
1900-1999
- 1904 - Leopold Nowak, musicologist
- 1911 - Mikhail Botvinnik, world chess champion
- 1913 - Rudy York, Major League Baseball All-Star (d. 1970)
- 1920 - Maureen O'Hara, actress
- 1929 - Francis Gary Powers, U-2 pilot (d. 1977)
- 1929 - Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China
- 1930 - Glenn Corbett, actor (d. 1993)
- 1932 - V. S. Naipaul, writer
- 1943 - Robert De Niro, actor
- 1958 - Belinda Carlisle, singer, guitarist
- 1958 - Kirk Stevens, Canadian snooker player
- 1959 - David Koresh, cult leader (d. 1993)
- 1960 - Sean Penn, actor, director
- 1964 - Colin James, blues musician
- 1968 - Ed McCaffrey, American football player
- 1969 - Donnie Wahlberg, actor, singer
- 1971 - Jorge Posada, Major League Baseball All-Star
- 1977 - Thierry Henry, French football star
- 1977 - Tarja Turunen, leadsinger Nightwish
- 1982 - Dean Pearson , luser
Deaths
1600-1899
1900-1999
2000-2099
Holidays and observances
August 16 - August 18 - July 17 - September 17 -- listing of all days
Last updated: 02-07-2005 09:32:49