The ovarian cortex is the outer portion of the ovary. The ovarian follicles are located within the ovarian cortex. The ovarian cortex is made up of connective tissue. Ovarian cortex tissue transplant has been performed to treat infertility.
The ovarian cortex is mostly made of stromal cells with ovarian follicles embedded between them. It is covered by a monolayer of ovarian surface epithelium, a continuum of the peritoneum, which may show a flat, cuboidal or columnar appearance in different areas of the ovary.