In a documentary on fitness I saw it was stated that women can't get big like men because of their low concentration of testosterone. If it is true that women have testosterone, where is it made? Why do some women, especially later in life, develop facial hair (though obviously not as much as men)? Do men also have "female" hormones in their body?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
1
Yes, they do. The ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen. Relatively small quantities of testosterone are released into your bloodstream by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Sex hormones are involved in the growth, maintenance, and repair of reproductive tissues [1].
The serum testosterone level in women with no acne, hirsutism, or menstrual dysfunction is 14.1 +/- 0.9 ng/dL (nanograms per decilitre) [2]. An average adult man has 270-1,070 ng/dL serum testosterone [3].
Men have female sex hormones too. For a prepubescent male, estrogen levels are expected to be between 1 and 3.7 ng/dL. During puberty, normal levels fall between 2.3 and 8.4 ng/dL. Levels for an adult male should be between 2.5 and 5 ng/dL [4].
References:
- WebMD, LLC. Normal Testosterone and Estrogen Levels in Women.
- Ayala C, Steinberger E, Smith KD, Rodriguez-Rigau LJ, Petak SM. Serum testosterone levels and reference ranges in reproductive-age women.
- Alexia Severson. Testosterone Levels by Age. Healthline Networks, Inc.
- wiseGEEK.com. What Are Normal Estrogen Levels in Men? (Measurements cited in picograms per millilitre, converted to ng/dL)
-
2$\begingroup$ Two comments. The first is that you gave a good comparison of testosterone in men vs women. But you only gave the amount of estrogen for men and in (slightly) different units from testosterone, thus marring an otherwise great answer. $\endgroup$ Jun 9, 2014 at 0:06
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Healthy young males have estradiol levels in the area of 20-30 pg/ml. Also, estrogen is a group of hormones, including estradiol and estrone for example. You shouldn't think of any hormones as women hormones or men hormones really, as both genders have them all, albeit in different proportions, and generated often through different pathways/organs.
this link is the best i could find within a few seconds of a google search: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/273153-overview it will really describe where and what hormones are created where and in what quantities, as well as how and where they can convert within the body into more potent steroids.
