Ovarian capsules and methods of surgical contraception by ovarian encapsulation

A capsule for encapsulating an ovary in the body of a patient comprising

• a hollow capsule body enclosing an interior
• an opening in said capsule body communicating with said interior for receiving an ovarian ligament to extend therethrough to position the ovary carried by the ovarian ligament in said interior for encapsulation by said capsule body;
• and
• a drainage channel extending from said capsule body and having a first end communicating with said interior and an open, second end spaced from said first end for draining substances from said interior.

A method of encapsulating an ovary in the body of a patient comprising the steps of

• introducing an ovarian capsule in the abdominal cavity of the patient;
• opening the capsule to provide access to the interior of the capsule;
• positioning an ovary of the patient in the interior of the capsule;
• and
• closing the capsule to prevent withdrawal of the ovary from the interior whereby the ovary is encapsulated by the ovarian capsule.

A method of encapsulating an ovary in the body of a patient comprising the steps of

• introducing an ovarian capsule in the abdominal cavity of the patient;
• moving first and second portions of the ovarian capsule away from one another to create a space in the ovarian capsule communicating with an interior of the ovarian capsule;
• positioning an ovary of the patient through the space and into the interior of the capsule;
• and
• moving the first and second portions of the ovarian capsule toward one another to close the space and encapsulate the ovary.