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Gonadal Hormones

This section is meant to provide information lacking in the following website, thus the formatting closely resembles that of the site:

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http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/index.html

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Producing and sustaining gametes, facilitating conception and coordinating fetal development and parturition requires precise coordination of a number of physiologic processes. Control over reproductive function is, as one would expect, provided by nervous and endocrine systems.

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The hormones most important in controlling reproduction are synthesized by diversified cells within the gonads. These endocrine cells secrete both steroid and peptide hormones, referred to as the sex hormones. Most if not all "sex hormones" operate through communication with the brain. The major steroid hormones produced by the gonads include estradiol, progesterone and testosterone. They stimulate reproductive organs, germ cell maturation, and the secondary sex characteristics in both males and females.

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The following discussions assume some familiarity with the anatomy and physiology of the reproductive tract.

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Core information:

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