The thin epithelial covering of the ovary plays a critical role in the rupture of mature follicles during ovulation, allowing the ovum to be released. If this epithelium thickens abnormally, it could mechanically obstruct ovum release, leading to conditions like anovulation or infertility. The ovary's surface ("germinal") epithelium is a thin simple cuboidal layer that must rupture at the stigma for the oocyte to be released. If this epithelium becomes abnormally thick, follicular rupture and ovulation are impeded first. Hormone secretion enters nearby capillaries and is managed deeper in the stroma (not across the surface epithelium), ligament attachment doesn't depend on the surface layer, and follicle growth occurs within the cortex-so these are less immediately affected.

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