Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

bioregulatory systems 🦠 > sex hormones > Flashcards

sex hormones Flashcards

(72 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

what is puberty

A

maturation of reproductive organs
production of sex steroids eg oestradiol/testosterone
development of secondary sexual characteristics
attain capability to reproduce

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

how is puberty graded

A

Tanner staging

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

in girls, how is puberty graded

A

thelarche - development of the breast

stages 1-5

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

in boys, how is puberty graded

A

growth of testes
testicular volume
stages 1-5
compared to beads called prader orchidometer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

in both boys and girls, how is puberty graded

A

onset of pubic hair
pubarche
stages 1-5

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what does gonadarche mean

A

activation of the gonads via HPG axis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what does thelarche mean

A

onset of breast development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what does menarche mean

A

onset of menstrual cycle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what does spermarche mean

A

onset of spermatogenesis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does adrenarche mean

A

adrenal androgen production (starts ~2 years before gonadarche)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what does pubarche mean

A

onset of pubic hair

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what are the 2ndary sexual characteristics in females caused by

A

effects of oestradiol

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what are the 2ndary sexual characteristics in females

A

breast development
hair growth - pubarche, axillary
sweat gland composition - skin oiliness, acne
changes to external genitalia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are the 2ndary sexual characteristics in males caused by

A

effect of testosterone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what are the 2ndary sexual characteristics in males

A

deepening of voice
hair growth - pubic, axillary and facial
sweat gland composition - skin oiliness and acne
changes to external genitalia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is the 1st sign of puberty in girls

A

thelarche

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is the late sign of puberty in girls

A

menarche

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are the measurements in ml for testicular size for boys at different stages of puberty

A

prepubertal <4mls

adult size > 15mls

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is adrenarche and where does it happen in girls

A

activation of adrenal androgen production

in girls this happens in the ovaries and adrenal glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

where does adrenarche happen in boys

A

in the testes and adrenal gland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Name 2 androgens

A

testosterone and androstenedione

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

where do some androgens (DHEA/DHEAS) tend to be secreted more from

A

the adrenal glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

in which gender is adrenarche more important for pubarche for

A

girls, as boys have testosterone so they are less reliant on adrenal androgens

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what is the first sign of gonadarche

A

activation of the HPG axis - hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
what normal secretion is pulsatile
GnRH - gonadotrophin releasing hormone
26
what does GnRH do
stimulates the rest of the axis | stimulates gonadotrophs in the pituitary to secrete LH/FSH (gonadotrophins - stimulate growth in testes/ovaries)
27
what happens to the HPG axis over time
in childhood = quiescent closer to puberty = increased nocturnal GnRH pulsatility and eventually normal pulsatile generation during the day during late pregnancy and neonatal life there is early activation of the HPG axis
28
when does menarche start
~2-3 years after thelarche soon after peak height velocity mean age = 12.7 years (range 10.7-16.1)
29
what is primary amenorrhoea
menarche later than 16 years is regarded as abnormal
30
what is secondary amenorrhoea
periods start and then stop for at least 3-6 months | most common physiological cause = pregnancy
31
how long is it common for periods to be irregular/anovulatory for
18 months
32
how long is the menstrual cycle in adult women
28 day cycle (24-35 days) +/- 2 days each month measured from the 1st day of full bleeding
33
what is the definition of amenorrhoea
absence of periods no periods for at least 3-6 months or up to 3 periods per year
34
what is oligo-menorrhoea
few periods irregular or infrequent periods >35 cycles 4-9 cycles per year
35
what is a follicle
in ovaries there are follicles and each follicle is a fluid filled sac containing an egg
36
what do follicles contain
granulosa and theca cells which support the development of the egg
37
describe the follicular phase - where FSH rises
FSH stimulates follicle to grow 2-3 follicles start to grow and they produce oestrogen (oestradiol - E2) and hormone inhibin B - both of which negative feedback to hypothalamus and pituitary gland to reduce FSH levels as FSH decreases, smaller follicles dependent on FSH for growth die - atresia larger follicles that are less FSH dependent are the dominant follicles the dominant follicles grow further > E2 produced (at low levels = negative feedback but at high levels = positive feedback - stimulating the hypothalamus and pituitary to make gonadotrophins mostly LH) mid cycle LH surge - induces ovulation (release of egg from follicle and remainder becomes corpus luteum) which produces progesterone and oestradiol
38
what peaks about 7 days after ovulation
progesterone (due to corpus luteum?)
39
what happens at day 21 if levels are too high
ovulation
40
describe the uterine cycle
as progesterone falls down - induces menstrual bleed first few days = menstrual bleed next 10 days = proliferative phase
41
what happens in the proliferative phase
(E2 is gradually increasing - important for proliferation of new epithelial cells in endometrium) - endometrial lining regrows - growth of new epithelial cells - gland proliferation - increase in stroma/arterioles
42
what happens in the secretory phase
progesterone - transformation to be receptive for implantation - increased volume of stromal cells >>> thick spongy lining - cork screw shaped glands secreting glycogen - coiling and lengthening of spiral arteries
43
what is ovulation
release of egg > goes through fallopian tube where it meets the sperm and becomes fertilised (ampulla region) = embryo travels to endometrium and implants around day 21
44
if the egg successfully implants in the endometrium, what does it produce and what does it do
beta hCG (pregnancy hormone) - stimulates LH receptors as LH surge was important for the corpus luteum > needs LH > maintains functions of the corpus luteum which will survive making progesterone and E2 maintaining the pregnancy
45
what happens if no hCG is produced
corpus luteum dies off > no more progesterone made > endometrium sheds > bleeding = new menstrual cycle
46
what happens if GnRH is absent or not pulsatile
reduced LH/FSH > reduced ovarian/testicular function | continous non-pulsatile administration of GnRH causes decreased LH/FSH secretion
47
can we measure GnRH
no ofc not silly | we use LH as a surrogate marker instead
48
in the follicular phase how often is every LH pulse
every 90-120 mins
49
in the luteal phase, how often is every LH pulse
slowed by progesterone | every 3-4 hours
50
what is hypogonadism
decreased function of the gonads
51
in males, what is hypogonadism
testes - decreased testosterone
52
in females what is hypogonadism
decreased oestrogen
53
causes of hypogonadism
problem with the gonads (testes/ovaries) problem with hypothalamus/pituitary gland not making enough LH/FSH - infections - trauma - cancer of testes
54
what is primary hypogonadism
problem with the gland that is supposed to secrete that hormone (eg testicular or ovarian damage)
55
what happens in hypogonadism
normally makes testosterone or oestradiol - negative feedback on hypothalamus and pituitary but now there is reduced negative feedback so more LH/FSH
56
most common cause of hypogonadism in females
menopause > ovaries stop functioning > decreased oestrogen > less negative feedback > high FSH/LH
57
which hormone is more related to reducing FSH for menopause
inhibin B as inhibin drops because ovaries stop making it > increased FSH
58
what causes secondary hypogonadism
decreased function of hypothalamus/pituitary - pituitary tumour - high prolactin
59
what is hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
problem with the gland that controls hormones that stimulates glands that make that hormone
60
symptoms of menopause
due to lack of E2 - oestradiol - skin dryness/hair thinning - hot flushes/sweating/sleep disturbance - mood disturbance - osteoporosis - decreases bone mineral density (BMD) as E2 stimulates osteoblasts - sexual dysfunction - vaginal dryness, low libido - weight gain - amenorrhoea - perimenopause - within a year of no periods, postmenopause - after 1 year of no periods - cessation of fertility - climacteric - irregular periods in years closer to menopause
61
treatment for menopause
menopause hormone therapy (MHT) - oestrogen replacement - oestrogen stimulates the endometrium to proliferate - add progesterone - if endometrium is intact to prevent risk of endometrial hyperplasia/cancer
62
what are ovarian reverse markers
AMH levels (antimullerian hormone) peaks at adult falls off towards menopause to assess ovarian reserve
63
what cells make AMH
granulosa cells in ovaries
64
what age does menopause occur
45-55 years | median age 51
65
what age does premature menopause occur
<40 years
66
what condition has the same symptoms as menopause and what is its diagnosis
early menopause - premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) | high FSH >25 iU/L (2 times at least 4 weeks apart)
67
what are causes of POI
autoimmune genetic - fragile X syndrome/Turners syndrome (XO) previous cancer therapy - eg. chemo/radiotherapy
68
what is andropause
fall of testosterone | peak testosterone = 40 years
69
most of testosterone is..
SHBG bound testosterone - stronhly and albumin weakly binds to testosterone free testosterone 2% is active late onset hypogonadism
70
what happens to SHBG as you grow older
increases with age - produced in liver > less free testosterone testosterone has diurnal rhythm - highest in the morning - measure before 11am can fall up to 20% with sugar > measure while fasting ideally
71
testosterone deficiency symptoms
sexual dysfunction - low libido erectile dysfunction - loss of early morning erections reduced hair growth reduced energy levels - fatigue mood disturbance body composition - increased fat/reduced muscle mass gynaecomastia - breast enlargement in men decreased spermatogenesis - high levels of intratesticular testosterone bone health - via conversion to oestrogen
72
what can testosterone be converted into
testosterone > oestrogens by aromatase in adipose tissue testosterone > dihydrotestosterone by 5 alpha reductase in eg prostate/scalp DHT is more potent ligand for androgen receptor

bioregulatory systems 🦠 (54 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions