Male and Female Sex Hormones (That Actually Everyone Has)

What is estrogen, anyway? Or testosterone? Sex hormones are hormones — communication chemicals in the body — that play important roles in reproduction and other things, too. If you’ve been hearing all about sex hormones lately, or, well, ever and wondered what the deal is, you’re in the right place. We’re here to help explain what it really means that people call estrogen a “female” hormone and androgens like testosterone “male” and why you should care about these bodily chemicals in the first place. Onward!

Male hormones, female hormones?

Let’s address one misconception right away: There are no “male” or “female” hormones. People sometimes use these terms for hormones, typically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, that are made in higher amounts in certain bodies. But in reality, people of all sexes and genders have every kind of reproductive hormone.¹ Testes make more testosterone, and ovaries make more estrogen and progesterone,² and there are some differences in what these hormones do in different bodies.³ But everyone, regardless of their anatomy, has all of them.¹

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These reproductive hormones are still rightly named “sex” hormones, though, because of how they’re related to things like the production of eggs and sperm. They’re also important for pregnancy and regulating the development of the body, especially during puberty. And in the case of “female” sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone, they’re a key component of hormonal birth control.

But in reality, people of all sexes and genders have every kind of reproductive hormone.

Estrogen

Estrogen, like its sex-hormone siblings progestogen and androgen, is not a single hormone but a class of hormone. The three estrogens are estriol, estrone, and estradiol — you’re most likely to have heard of the latter since it’s the most common form in estrogen-containing drugs like certain formulations of hormonal birth control.⁴

Structure of Estradiol (Source)

In the body, estrogens are predominantly made in the ovaries (and testes).⁵ They’re key regulatory chemicals during puberty — like other hormones, estrogen levels are an important way for different parts of the body to communicate with each other. You may be most familiar with estrogen from when its effects showed up during puberty. If you noticed changes like widening hips, growing breasts, redistributing fat, and other changes – that was estrogen! But estrogen is a life-long friend. Throughout life, it’s important for keeping the menstrual cycle cycling, as well as stabilizing mood, sleep patterns, and a ton of other things.⁵

Estradiol is the most prevalent form of estrogen in the body during most of a person’s life. Increases in estradiol trigger the maturation and release of eggs from the ovaries, and tell the lining of the uterus to thicken in preparation for a potential pregnancy.⁵ During menopause, a drop in estradiol is one of the biggest hormonal changes that occurs, resulting in periods stopping and side effects like hot flashes and osteoporosis. During menopause, estrone becomes the dominant estrogen type, while estriol plays an important role during pregnancy, where it helps strengthen the uterus and prepare the body for breastfeeding.⁶

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Progesterone

Progesterone belongs to a hormone group called the progestogens (rhymes with estrogens). It’s also made in the ovaries, as well as in testes and adrenal glands. In people with ovaries, it’s produced in a part of the ovary called the corpus luteum, a temporary organ that’s actually made from the remains of the follicle that released an egg.⁷ Once the corpus luteum develops after ovulation every month, it releases progesterone during the second half of the menstrual cycle in preparation for a potential pregnancy.⁵ If the body doesn’t become pregnant, the corpus luteum degrades and progesterone levels fall, signaling the body to menstruate and begin a new cycle.

Structure of Progesterone (Source)

Progesterone isn’t absorbed well when taken as a pill, so hormonal birth control pills use artificial versions called progestins, which are taken up by the body much more easily.⁵ Progesterone and progestins look exactly the same to your body, and they both send signals that tell the body it’s pregnant, preventing ovulation.

Like other hormones, progesterone serves many other important functions in the body. Progestin is sometimes prescribed to help with menopause symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness, and it can help with irregular periods and endometriosis.⁵ Outside of the reproductive system, it helps regulate mood, cognition, inflammation, brain health, and more.⁸

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Androgens

The last class of reproductive hormones are androgens, also made in the ovaries, testes, and to a lesser extent, in the adrenal glands.⁹ The most famous androgen is testosterone, though there are other androgens like androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and dihydrotestosterone.⁹

Structure of Testosterone (Source)

In all people, androgens play an important role in things like the production of red blood cells, maintaining bone density, developing muscles, and maintaining sexual desire.⁹ They’re most famous for their role in puberty, especially in men, and their role in sperm production. But they’re also a critical precursor for making estrogen in the ovaries, so they’re important for people with uteruses, too.

Know your hormones!

Understanding what’s going on inside your body is a great step toward taking better care of it. Sex hormones are just one facet of your health, but they’re an important one — especially if you’re taking hormonal birth control.

Not everyone’s body will react to hormones in the same way, and it can make finding the right hormonal medications a tough job. But understanding how they work can shed light on some of the potential side effects associated with hormones, as well as the potential benefits — both for pregnancy prevention and beyond.