Top 10 FAQs on Sex Hormones

Hormones which are secreted by the testis in males and ovaries in females are called Sex Hormones. In males, it is testosterone and in females it is oestrogen. They are named so because these hormones are responsible for the male and female secondary sexual characteristics.

In females, the primary function of oestrogen is the development of secondary sexual characteristics such as the development of breast, maturation of endometrium and regulation of the menstrual cycle.

Whereas in males, it is testosterone that plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as prostate and testes and also promotes secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscles and bone mass and growth of body hair.

Nothing like is there in science, more may not be the merrier here, we need to appropriate hormone level for good health, sexual and physical.

There are two types here, primary and secondary. In male primary would mean sperm production for procreation, secondary would mean, secondary sexual characteristics like beard, moustache, axillary pubic hair, increase in length of phallus, muscular growth (broad shoulder girdle) etc.

In women, primary would mean Ovum production and ovulation for fertility, regular cycle and secondary would mean breast development, pelvic girdle development other than pubic axillary hair growth.

You can, but why you want we need to know. Unless medically important, we do not want you to manipulate hormone levels.

Medically indicated means there I a medical reason why cases of prostate cancer we want to reduce androgen level in men, that is normal to high androgen can make the spread of prostate cancer faster.

You need to do anything, nature has done that for us. We need to remain healthy, we should all concentrate on our physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing, they will do the balancing.

This is a difficult question, sex drive depends on lots of factors but commonest problem in drive is the mismatch, mismatch between expectation and practicality.

Normal hormonal level is certainly important as are stable relationship, sharing of feeling, physical health, timing, peace of mind. Taking extra hormonal pills for increasing sex drive something we will always discourage.

An Adrenal gland hormone called DHEAS in women have shown to be beneficial in supplementing provided you are deficient in that, like women with Adrenal gland insufficiency be it due to Adrenal gland itself or Pituitary gland not stimulating the Adrenal gland.

Androgen in men and Oestrogen in women. Taking more of them will not make you more attractive.

Not really, usually what you see over the years changes in your physical structure, this is natural, we all grow older, this is truth of life. There is no reason to think your body will change after sex.

Well, we can discuss with you in three points:

a. Point one – People with diagnosed medical conditions may be treated with supplementary oestrogen, testosterone, or other sex hormones.

If you do not have one, be sure you thoroughly understand the potential benefits and risks—and weigh these carefully—since sex hormones influence your entire body.

If you are taking oral contraceptives, be sure to understand possible side effects.

Men and women seek supplementary hormones for vague reasons, such as weight loss, low energy, or to regain lost youthfulness. In this case, the risks are likely to outweigh potential benefits.

Medically the sole unequivocal indication for testosterone treatment is as replacement therapy for men with organic disorders of the reproductive system, we need to remember this.

b. Point two – There is something called Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), they are capable of altering the production and/or function of many hormones. EDCs may be found in pesticides, plastics, flame retardants, food, clothes, fragrances, pharmaceuticals, cooking and eating items. Side effects could bed developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune-related. Even small amounts can be harmful.

The easy way out to minimize EDC could be using more organic foods, using stainless steel, glass, or ceramic utensils for cooking and storing, staying away from air pollution whenever possible, washing new clothes before we wear them. We can avoid products with added fragrance as much as possible. Vegetarian food actually has fewer EDCs, eating them more can be a healthy option.

c. Point three – All animal foods contain sex hormones, identical to the human ones. This is true even for animals raised without added hormones. Mammals, birds and fishes need hormones for their own functioning.

The hormones they produce become part of their tissues and secretions, which you consume if you eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy.

The sex hormones we consume vary with the type of animal food, dairy and eggs contain the largest amounts of oestrogen. For dairy, high oestrogen levels are tied to the fact that modern dairy cows are pregnant most of the year (during pregnancy females become maximum estrogen producers).

There are studies available to prove this point, in Japan diet changed significantly after World War II. In the 50 years from 1947 to 1997, intake of milk, meat, and eggs increased 20, 10, and 7-fold, respectively.

During that time, the death rate from breast cancer roughly doubled, and ovarian cancer deaths increased four times.

The death rate from prostate cancer increased 25-fold. Oestrogen in dairy may be responsible for these increases in reproductive cancer death.