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.
Bamako, population 953,600 (2004), is the capital of Mali. It is located on the Niger River, in the southwestern part of the country. Bamako is the nation's administrative center, as well as a river port and a major regional trade center. Manufactures include textiles, processed meat, and metal goods. There is commercial fishing on the Niger River.
The area of the city has been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic, but the legendary founding of Bamako occured in the seventeenth century by Seribadian Niaré and Soumba Coulibaly ]], or Bamba Sanago , before its chiefdom passed to Diaoussadian Niaré . The city was an important market town and a leading center of Muslim learning under the Mali Empire, but by the 19th century it had declined. In 1883 the region was occupied by French troops, and in 1908, Bamako became the capital of the French Sudan. It population has grown rapidly; in 1960 Bamako's population was approximately 160,000.
Notable buildings in Bamako include the Tour BCEAO , Bamako Grand Mosque and the Pont du Roi Fahd . It is home to an airport and railway lines to Dakar and Koulikoro . Attractions include the Mali National Museum , the Muso Kunda Museum , the Bamako Regional Museum , Bamako Zoo , the Bamako Botanical Gardens and the Point G hill, containing caves with rock paintings.
1988 Bamako was conference location of a WHO conference known as Bamako-Initiave , that sustainably re-shaped health policy of sub-saharan Africa.