Overview:

The ovary is comprised of an outer cortex and an inner medulla in most domestic animals. In the cortical regions you will find numerous follicles in various stages of development. In this image generated at medium magnification (10X objective) the smaller folicles are not as well resolved as the tertiary follicles with a large fluid filled cavity or antrum. The external cortex is generally covered by cuboidal mesothelium that is continuous with the surrounding peritoneum. The more centrally located medulla is readily identified by numerous large vessels.