3D Ovary Palpation Preview

What does a follicle, a corpus luteum, a follicular cyst, a luteal cyst or an inactive ovary feel like per rectum? Press each one, cut it open, compare sizes — then test yourself in the quiz.

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Drag to turn the ovary. “Press” shows how much the structure gives under your finger; “Cut” shows the wall and what is inside. Ruler in mm. Typical sizes — individual animals vary; confirm with ultrasound or progesterone where you can.

Cow · abnormal

Inactive (smooth) ovary

Feels:

Soft, fluctuatingFirm

How it feels

Small, flat and smooth — no structure sticks out.
Firm all over; no fluctuating follicle bigger than about 8 mm and no CL.
Feel BOTH ovaries — both are small and smooth.
Size of an almond or a large bean.

What it means

True anoestrus: the ovaries are not cycling. Common after calving, in heifers that are underfed, in high-yielders losing body condition, and in summer.

Field tips

Uterus is small and flaccid (no tone).
Check body condition, feeding, worm load and minerals before hormones.
Re-check after 10–14 days: an ovary that was between waves can feel small but will show a follicle or CL later.

Treatment

Improve energy and protein feeding; give an area-specific mineral mixture (phosphorus, copper, cobalt, zinc, iodine); deworm.
Hormonal induction (e.g. a progesterone device with PGF2α and GnRH/eCG) as per your protocol — works best once body condition improves.

How to tell them apart

This	or this?	How to tell
Follicle	Follicular cyst	Size (follicle 12–20 mm, cyst ≥25 mm) and time: a follicle ovulates within 1–2 days; a cyst is still there 7–10 days later.
Follicular cyst	Luteal cyst	Wall: thin and tense/fluctuating vs thick and rubbery. Behaviour: irregular/frequent heat vs no heat.
Luteal cyst	Mature CL	A CL has a crown, is firm and liver-like, and the cow cycles. A luteal cyst has no crown, is larger and rubbery, and the cow is in anoestrus.
Luteal cyst	Cystic CL	The cystic CL has a crown and the cow cycles normally — it is normal and needs no treatment.
Inactive ovary	Ovary between waves	Both feel small, but an inactive ovary stays smooth on re-check after 10–14 days and the uterus has no tone.
Developing CL	Follicle	Developing CL is soft and spongy, not tense; the cow was in heat a few days earlier.

All structures at a glance (cow)

Structure	Size	Feel	Means
Inactive ovary	ovary ~20 mm	Size of an almond or a large bean.	True anoestrus: the ovaries are not cycling.
Follicle	~16 mm	Like a grape or a small water blister.	Normal follicular phase (proestrus–estrus).
Developing CL	~14 mm	Like a soft sponge or a ripe berry.	Day 1–5 after ovulation (metestrus).
Mature CL	~24 mm	Like a firm piece of liver, or a marble set into the ovary.	Diestrus (day 6–17) — or PREGNANCY.
Cystic CL	~25 mm	A firm marble with a softer centre.	A NORMAL variant — a CL with a fluid-filled cavity.
Regressing CL	~13 mm	Like a small hard pea in the ovary.	Late diestrus / proestrus (day 18–21) — the cow is coming into heat.
Follicular cyst	~32 mm	Like a water-filled balloon or a big grape bigger than a follicle.	An anovulatory follicle that did not ovulate.
Luteal cyst	~30 mm	Like a thick rubber ball with fluid inside.	A cyst with a thick, luteinised wall that produces progesterone.