Androgen facts for kids

An androgen is a male sex hormone. Androgens control and stimulate development of male characteristics in vertebrates. The main hormone is testosterone.

Although androgens are commonly thought of only as male sex hormones, females also have them, but at lower levels. Also, androgens are the precursors to estrogens in both men and women.

Androgens increase in both males and females during puberty. They are synthesized in the testes, the ovaries, and the adrenal glands.

In addition to their role as natural hormones, androgens are used as medications.

Biological function

Male pubertal development

At the time of puberty, androgen levels increase dramatically in males, and androgens mediate the development of masculine secondary sexual characteristics. Masculine secondary sexual characteristics include androgenic hair, voice deepening, emergence of the Adam's apple, broadening of the shoulders, and increased muscle mass.

Muscle mass

Males typically have more skeletal muscle mass than females. Androgens promote the enlargement of skeletal muscle cells in a coordinated manner by acting on several cell types in skeletal muscle tissue.

Brain

Circulating levels of androgens can influence human behavior because some neurons are sensitive to steroid hormones. Androgen levels have been implicated in the regulation of human aggression. Indeed, androgens are capable of altering the structure of the brain in several species, including mice, rats, and primates, producing sex differences.

Numerous reports have shown androgens alone are capable of altering the structure of the brain.

See also

In Spanish: Andrógeno para niños