Question

Difference between Testosterone and Estrogen

Answer 1

Answer:

What is testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone found in humans and some animals. The testicles produce testosterone in men, although women also produce a small amount of testosterone in their ovaries. Though classed as an androgen, or male hormone, testosterone is important for both men and women.

Testosterone plays a role in:

Puberty

Sperm production

Sex drive

Body fat distribution

Producing red blood cells

Muscular strength

Body hair growth

Mood

In women, testosterone can affect fertility, bone and breast health, and menstrual cycles.

What is oestrogen?

Oestrogen is the collective name for the female sex hormones estrone, estradiol, and estriol. Oestrogen is produced primarily in the ovaries, but it is found in men too, and is important for healthy development.

Oestrogen plays a role in:

Puberty

Regulating the menstrual cycle

Pregnancy

Lactation

Bone formation

Blood clotting

Breast tissue growth

In men, oestrogen assists with sexual development and in producing healthy sperm.

Answer 2

Oestrogen is considered to be the 'female' hormone, whereas testosterone is considered the 'male' hormone. However, both hormones are present in both sexes. Thus sexual distinctions are not qualitative differences, but rather result from quantitative divergence in hormone concentrations and differential expressions of steroid hormone receptors. In males, oestrogen is present in low concentrations in blood, but can be extraordinarily high in semen, and as high as 250 pg ml(-1) in rete testis fluids, which is higher than serum oestradiol in the female. It is well known that male reproductive tissues express oestrogen receptors, but the role of oestrogen in male reproduction has remained unclear. Here we provide evidence of a physiological role for oestrogen in male reproductive organs. We show that oestrogen regulates the reabsorption of luminal fluid in the head of the epididymis. Disruption of this essential function causes sperm to enter the epididymis diluted, rather than concentrated, resulting in infertility. This finding raises further concern over the potential direct effects of environmental oestrogens on male reproduction and reported declines in human sperm counts.