5. Gonads & Specialized Types of Hormones

gonads

gamete-producing glands (ovaries or testes)

puberty

the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body that is capable of reproducing

estrogen

a hormone secreted by the ovaries that is important in the development and maintenance of the female secondary sex characteristics and in regulation of the menstrual cycle

progesterone

the hormone released during the second half of the menstrual cycle by the corpus luteum in the ovary. Its function is to complete the preparation of the uterus for possible pregnancy.

gamete

a reproductive cell (sperm or ova)

gonadotropin

any hormone that stimulates the gonads

gonad/o

gonad

-tropin

to stimulate

testosterone

a steroid hormone secreted by the testicles and the adrenal cortex to stimulate the development of male secondary sex characteristics

steroids

a large family of hormone like substances that share the same fat soluble chemical structure

anabolic steroids

man-made substances that are chemically related to male sex hormones that are used in the treatment of hormone problems in men and to help replace muscle mass lost due to disease

leptin

a protein hormone secreted by fat cells that is involved in the regulation of appetite

ghrelin

a hormone produced in the GI tract, sometimes referred to as the hunger hormone

neurohormones

hormones produced and releases by neurons into the brain, rather than by the endocrine glands, and delivered to organs and tissues through the bloodstream