Sex steroid

Sex steroids, also known as gonadal steroids, are steroid hormones that interact with vertebrate androgen or estrogen receptors.^[1] Their effects are mediated by slow genomic mechanisms through nuclear receptors as well as by fast nongenomic mechanisms through membrane-associated receptors and signaling cascades.^[2] The term sex hormone is nearly always synonymous with sex steroid. The non-steroid hormones luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone are usually not regarded as sex hormones, although they play major sex-related roles.

Production

Natural sex steroids are made by the gonads (ovaries or testes),^[3] by adrenal glands, or by conversion from other sex steroids in other tissue such as liver or fat.^[4]

Synthetic sex steroids

There are also many synthetic sex steroids. Synthetic androgens are often referred to as

• Sex Steroid Hormones at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

External links

References

• Sexual motivation and hormones
• Androgen insensitivity syndrome
• Klinefelter syndrome
• Sex-hormone therapy

See also

• Progestogens:
  • Progesterone

• Estrogens:
  • Estradiol
  • Estriol
  • Estrone

• Androgens:
  • Anabolic steroids
  • Androstenedione
  • Dehydroepiandrosterone
  • Dihydrotestosterone
  • Testosterone

Sex steroids include:

In many contexts, the two main classes of sex steroids are androgens and estrogens, of which the most important human derivatives are testosterone and estradiol, respectively. Other contexts will include progestogens as a third class of sex steroids, distinct from androgens and estrogens. Progesterone is the most important and only naturally-occurring human progestogen. In general, androgens are considered "male sex hormones", since they have masculinizing effects, while estrogens and progestogens are considered "female sex hormones"^[6] although all types are present in each sex, albeit at different levels.

Types

[5]