Sex hormones affect the growth of many features related to our biological sex . That can include all sorts of things, from what body parts a person has, to a person’s bone structure and how much hair they have. Sources and Control of Secretion Young adult women produce two main sex steroids: estrogen and progesterone. There are two main forms of estrogen: estriol and estrone. Estriol, which constitutes approximately 60 percent of total estrogen, is more powerful than estrone. Before menopause, almost all estrogen and progesterone come from follicle cells, which surround the developing egg cells in the ovaries (Figure 14.1). Follicle cells also secrete inhibin. Stroma cells, which surround each ... Male Sex Hormones Testosterone is a steroid hormone produced primarily in the male testes and is responsible for the secondary sexual characteristics in males after puberty. These secondary sex characteristics include a deepening of the voice, the growth of facial, axillary, and pubic hair, and increased sex drive. [1] Testosterone levels fluctuate throughout the lifespan. An increase in testosterone at puberty marks the transition from a non-reproductive to a reproductive state. Throughout ... Although estrogens are responsible for female sexual characteristics, they are also synthesized in males. Certain peripheral target tissues express aromatase, which facilitates the conversion of circulating testosterone to estradiol and androstenedione to estrone.
