The hormones behind it all
The human reproductive process is entirely under hormonal control. This can be seen on both the male side and the female side.
Here, several kinds of hormone secreted from a few endocrine glands are important: FSH, LH, testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen.
| Hormone | Secreted by | Where it appeared in this chapter |
|---|---|---|
| FSH | pituitary gland | grows the follicle in the follicular phase |
| LH | pituitary gland | bursts the Graafian follicle at ovulation |
| Testosterone | testes | secondary sexual characteristics in males |
| Oestrogen | ovaries | secondary sexual characteristics in females; the proliferative phase |
| Progesterone | ovaries | the secretory phase; its fall begins menstruation |
Two glands give all the orders
Read the second column and the whole system is only two sources. The pituitary instructs — FSH and LH, in both sexes. The gonad replies — testosterone from the testis, oestrogen and progesterone from the ovary. Everything else in section 14.3 is one of those five hormones acting somewhere.