Estrogen

primary female sex hormone in mammals, as well as a medication, is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics

Estrogen or oestrogen is a group of female hormones.[1] It includes oestrone (E1), oestradiol (E2), and oestriol (E3).

Oestradiol is the most important oestrogen. Oestrogen is mainly secreted by the ovary, a small amount by the liver, adrenal cortex, and breast. In pregnancy, the placenta can also have a lot of secretion. Male testes also secrete a small amount. Ovary mainly secretes β-estradiol, other estrogens are less important.[2]

Oestrogen helps women grow during puberty and is part of the menstrual cycle. During menopause, oestrogen levels go down. The male hormone that is similar is androgen.

Biosynthesis

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Steroidogenesis, showing estrogens at bottom right as in pink triangle[3]

References

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  1. The word comes from the Greek οἶστρος, meaning gadfly. Its use here is not literal.
  2. Whitehead S.A. & Nussey S. 2001. Endocrinology: an integrated approach. Oxford: BIOS. ISBN 1-85996-252-1
  3. Häggström M, Richfield D (2014). "Diagram of the pathways of human steroidogenesis". WikiJournal of Medicine. 1 (1). doi:10.15347/wjm/2014.005. ISSN 2002-4436.