Psychology 2075 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Corpus Luteum, Follicular Phase, Estrous Cycle

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2075
• Professor: Corey Isaacs

Document Summary

Human sexuality chapter 5: sex hormones, sexual differentiation, and menstruation. Many of the structural differences between males and females arise before birth, during the prenatal period, in a process called prenatal sexual differentiation. Hormones are powerful chemical substances manufactured by the endocrine glands and secreted directly into the blood stream. The most important sex hormones are testosterone (one of a group of hormones called androgens) and estrogen and progesterone. These are secreted in the gonads, or sex glands: the testes in the male and the ovaries in the female. The hypothalamus regulates the pituitary gland, which regulates other glands, such as the testes and ovaries. The important hormone produced by the testes is testosterone. Testosterone has important functions in stimulating and maintaining the secondary sex characteristics, maintaining the genitals and their sperm-producing capability, and stimulating the growth of bone and muscle.