Like the circulatory system, digestive system and nervous system, the endocrine system regulates the body’s activities. Both the hormones and the hormones producing glands make up the endocrine system. Altogether, there are eight significant glands, mainly involved in producing hormones, regulating the body’s metabolism and life processes.
Endocrinology is the branch of biology and medicine that focuses on the endocrine system. It mainly involves studying the hormones definition, types, endocrine glands, functions, facts and more about male and female hormones and their functions.
What are Hormones?
Hormones refer to the unique chemical messengers or the carriers of the human body. These chemical substances are produced by the human endocrine glands or the human endocrine system. These unique chemical messengers control most of the body functions, from primary needs to complex systems and other processes like reproduction and emotions.
Important activities of hormones include:
- Food metabolism.
- Control thirst and hunger.
- Maintains body temperature.
- Regulates mood and cognitive functioning.
- Growth and development of prompting cell or tissue.
- Initiating and maintaining sexual development and reproduction.
Humans, plants and animals also have their hormone-producing glands, which function in their growth and development.
Female Hormones
Female hormones are also called female sex hormones or female reproductive hormones. There are four major female reproductive hormones:
- Estrogen.
- Progesterone.
- LH– Luteinising hormone.
- FSH– Follicle Stimulating Hormone.
Functions Of Female Hormones
- The follicle-stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland plays an essential role in synthesizing and releasing eggs.
- Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone, which plays a vital role in the maintenance of sex organs, development of female secondary sexual characters, regulation of the female reproductive system, development and initiation of the menstrual cycle.
- Luteinizing hormone is released from the anterior pituitary, which stimulates the ovulation, maintains the corpus luteum and releases the ovum from the ovary.
- Both estrogen and progesterone are steroid hormones produced by the ovaries and are essential for maintaining pregnancy, ensuring proper female development, fertility and direct effects on the development of mammary glands.
- Progesterone is a steroid hormone secreted by the ovary, which prepares the body for pregnancy and maintains the uterus during pregnancy. This hormone also helps in initiating the menstrual cycle.
Conclusion
Female hormones have multiple essential effects on women’s health as their role being played in women’s fertility and along with the fact that these hormones are more dominant in women than men. The female hormones are naturally produced and secreted by the glands of the endocrine system. The female hormones estrogen and progesterone are secreted for the influence on a female’s reproductive health.
This concludes the introduction to the types and functions of female hormones. Stay tuned with BYJU’S to learn more about the hormones, female hormones, their types, functions and other related topics.
Students can also learn quickly by watching various topics available on YouTube videos by subscribing to BYJU’S YouTube channel.
