estrogen

Examples of estrogen in the following topics:

• Pineal Gland and Gonads

  • Estrogen increases at the time of puberty, causing the growth of the uterus and vagina.
  • Without estrogen, egg maturation would not occur.
  • Estrogen is also responsible for secondary sex characteristics such as female body hair and fat distribution.
  • Estrogen and progesterone are responsible for the development of the breast and for the uterine cycle.
  • Male testes produce androgens, while female ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone.

• Female Hormones

  • As the follicles grow, they begin releasing estrogens and a low level of progesterone.
  • The level of estrogen decreases when the extra follicles degenerate.
  • After about five days, estrogen levels rise and the menstrual cycle enters the proliferative phase.
  • The level of estrogen produced by the corpus luteum increases to a steady level for the next few days.
  • Estrogen is involved in calcium metabolism and, without it, blood levels of calcium decrease.

• Steroids

  • Cholesterol is also a precursor to many important steroid hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, which are secreted by the gonads and endocrine glands.

• Termination of the Signal Cascade

  • One reason that hydrophobic hormones like estrogen and testosterone trigger long-lasting events is because they bind carrier proteins.

• Labor and Birth

  • Toward the end of the third trimester, estrogen causes receptors on the uterine wall to develop and bind the hormone oxytocin.

• Lipid-Derived, Amino Acid-Derived, and Peptide Hormones

  • Examples of steroid hormones include estradiol, which is an estrogen, or female sex hormone, and testosterone, which is an androgen, or male sex hormone.

• Signaling Molecules

  • Steroid hormones include the female sex hormone, estradiol, which is a type of estrogen; the male sex hormone, testosterone; and cholesterol, which is an important structural component of biological membranes and a precursor of steriod hormones .

• Types and Functions of Proteins

  • Some types of hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, are lipid steroids, not proteins.

• Hydrocarbons

  • The benzene ring is present in many biological molecules including some amino acids and most steroids, which includes cholesterol and the hormones estrogen and testosterone.

• Human Gestation

  • The placenta has taken over the functions of nutrition and waste, along with the production of estrogen and progesterone from the corpus luteum, which has degenerated.