What Part Of The Male Body Produces Testosterone – By Blanca Paraíso M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc. (gynecologist), Cristina Mestre Ferrer B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist), Zaira Salvador B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist) and Romina Packan (staff).

Testosterone is a male sex hormone involved in the development of the genitals and the emergence of secondary sex characteristics in males.

What Part Of The Male Body Produces Testosterone

It is an anabolic steroid mainly produced by the testes, although a small amount is also released by the adrenal glands.

The Highs And Lows Of Testosterone

Testosterone is the androgenic hormone par excellence, but does not occur exclusively in men. Women’s ovaries and adrenal glands also produce a smaller amount of testosterone and are related to increased libido.

Below is an index of the 9 points we will expand on in this article.

Testosterone is a steroid hormone because it comes from cholesterol. Specifically, testosterone is part of the group of hormones called

Other hormones in the androgen group are dehydroepiandrosterone sufato (DHEAS), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). But DHEAS, DHEA and androstenedione are really hormone precursors, as they must be converted to testosterone and DHT in order to express their effects.

How Many Milligrams Of Testosterone Do Men Naturally Produce?

Another type of steroid sex hormones are estrogens. Traditionally, estrogens are known as female hormones and androgens are known as male hormones, but both types are found in both women and men.

And is perfectly regulated by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain through the hormone LH.

Once testosterone has been released into the bloodstream, it travels through the bloodstream bound to other proteins: sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin. Because of this binding, testosterone’s function is inhibited because it cannot bind to its receptor.

On the other hand, a small amount of testosterone remains free in the blood and is active to perform its function.

Medication For Symptoms Of Low Testosterone

Bioavailable testosterone is the sum of free testosterone and testosterone bound to albumin, as this protein has a low binding affinity to testosterone and can therefore release it quickly.

In the case of women, testosterone is produced by the teak cells in the ovaries and by the adrenal glands.

Testosterone appears during the first weeks of embryonic development and is responsible for the virilization of the male fetus.

This hormone plays a very important role in the development of the male reproductive system and in the development of his secondary sexual characteristics.

Male And Female Gonads: Testes And Ovaries

On the other hand, testosterone also intervenes in the sexuality of men and women, is very important for bone health, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and also has beneficial effects on the blood vessels.

In the following sections, we will discuss in more detail what functions testosterone has for both sexes.

In addition to the fetal period, testosterone becomes especially important in men after puberty. From the age of 11-13, testosterone production begins to increase in children and is maintained for the rest of their lives.

In the case of women, they also produce testosterone and other androgens that are important for maintaining ovarian function, bone metabolism, cognitive function, and sexual function.

Testosterone: Video, Anatomy, Definition & Function

In terms of female reproduction, the role of androgens is not entirely clear, although it is necessary to maintain adequate levels for proper ovarian function.

Androgens play a fundamental role in follicle development, so high levels can lead to excessive growth with dysfunctional formation of antral follicles, as in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). On the other hand, too low levels of androgens are associated with low ovarian response and ovarian insufficiency.

Apart from this, androgens have been shown to increase the levels of receptors for the FSH hormone in the follicles, which is responsible for inducing follicle growth.

Hormone analysis is one of the basic diagnostic tests for studying fertility in both men and women. One of the hormones that is quantified is testosterone, as it can provide information on the causes of infertility, decreased sex drive, irregular menstrual cycles, testicular tumors, etc.

Interactive Guide To The Male Reproductive System

An adult man produces about 20 times more testosterone than an adult woman. Specifically, these testosterone levels that are considered normal are:

Men exhibiting these symptoms are advised to make an appointment with a specialist to undergo hormonal examinations and have their case evaluated.

If, after several tests, the doctor finds that the testosterone levels are low and the clinical manifestations cannot be attributed to any other cause, hormone therapy with testosterone can be used.

The doctor responsible for the treatment will choose the method of administration of testosterone according to the specific deficit and the characteristics of the man or woman.

Treating Low Testosterone Levels

Artificially administered testosterone can have side effects, so medical follow-up and dose control is very important. The most common side effects are breast enlargement, fluid retention and prostate enlargement.

The latter is the most important risk, so doctors usually perform a specific prostate analysis before treatment to ensure that there is no tumor in the area, which reduces the likelihood of cancer arising from abnormal prostate growth.

50% of the testosterone in a woman’s body comes from the conversion of other androgens, while the other 50% is produced directly in the ovary and adrenal glands in equal parts.

Specifically, women produce between 0.1 and 0.4 mg of testosterone daily, while men produce between 5 and 7 mg daily.

What Do Normal Testosterone Levels Look Like?

99% of a woman’s testosterone is bound to a protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which does not allow it to function. Therefore, only 1% of the testosterone will be in free form and can have an effect on the body.

As menopause approaches, there is a decrease in androgen levels. However, the ovaries of menopausal women will continue to produce testosterone constantly.

Besides menopause, other situations that can reduce androgen concentrations include anorexia nervosa, medications such as contraceptives (due to increased SHBG concentrations), HIV, bilateral oophorectomy (surgical excision of both ovaries) and endocrine pathologies such as adrenal insufficiency. glands or hypopituitarism.

On the contrary, there are circumstances where higher levels of androgens are observed, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Low Testosterone: Signs, Causes, And Treatment

Testosterone is sometimes used in assisted reproduction in an attempt to improve response in women with low egg reserves.

Testosterone or DHEA pretreatment appears to be associated with better birth rates, although the quality of evidence is moderate.

If you want to know more about childbirth and its natural development, do not miss the following article: Male and Female Sex Hormones – Definition & Functions.

You may also be interested in reference values ​​for testosterone and other sex hormones to evaluate fertility. Read more about here:

Physical Changes On Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy

Nagels HE. Androgens (dehydroepiandrosterone or testosterone) for women undergoing assisted reproduction. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 26;(11):CD009749.

Nieschlag E, Nieschlag S. ENDOCRINE HISTORY: The history of the discovery, synthesis and development of testosterone for clinical use. Eur J Endocrinol. 2019 Jun 1;180(6):R201-R212.

Common questions from users: ‘What is the function of testosterone in men?’, ‘How much testosterone do women produce?’, ‘Where can testosterone concentrations go down or up in women?’ and “What is the purpose of testosterone during an IVF treatment?”.

Bachelor of Medicine and Ph.D from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). Postgraduate training in health sciences statistics. Doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology and assisted reproduction. More information about Blanca Paraíso

Androgen: What Is An Androgen? Definition, Anti Androgens, And More

Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, Genetics and Human Reproduction from the University of Valencia (UV). Master’s Degree in Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction from UV and Valencia’s Infertility Institute (IVI). Embryologist at IVI Barcelona. More information about Cristina Mestre Ferrer

Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Valencia (UPV). Biotechnology degree from the National University of Ireland en Galway (NUIG) and embryologist specialized in assisted reproduction, with a master’s degree in biotechnology for human reproduction from the University of Valencia (UV) and the Valencian Infertility Institute (IVI) More information about Zaira Salvador

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Human Reproductive System

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How Testosterone Replacement Therapy Is Transforming Aging

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