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| estrogen |
| Also known as: oestrogen |
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What is it? |
| A generic term for oestrus (the periodical sexual impulse of animals) producing
steroid
compounds, the female sex hormones. In humans, estrogen is formed in the
ovary,
possibly the adrenal
cortex, and the testis,
It has various functions in both sexes. It is responsible for the
development of the female secondary sex characteristics and during
the menstrual cycle it acts on the female genitalia to produce an
environment suitable for the fertilization, implantation and nutrition
of the early embryo.
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