President Garcia Memorial Institute of Technology

SCIENCE 10
Quarter 3 – Module 1 (Week 1)

Reproductive Hormones

Teacher: Kent Joshua G. Tangan

 What I Need to Know
Most Essential Learning Competencies:
At the end of the lesson, you as a learner shall be able to
1. Explain the role of hormones involved in the female and male
reproductive systems.

What Is It

A hormone is a chemical released into the blood and transported to

affect cells in other parts of the body. Hormones regulate many things in the
body such as:
 Growth and development
 Male and female development
 How the body uses energy
 Levels of salts and sugars in the
blood
 The amount (volume) of fluid in
the body.

Reproductive Hormones
Certain hormones play key roles in reproduction. They cause different
sexual characteristics in males and females, and control fertility or the ability
to have an offspring.

There are several reproductive hormones but the major ones are
Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone. These hormones are
associated with puberty.
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes
by a child’s body becomes an adult body capable
of reproduction.

Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from

the brain via the pituitary gland to the ovaries of
the females and testes of the males. In response,
these organs produce a variety of hormones that
stimulate the growth, function, or transformation
of brain, bones, muscle, skin, breasts, and
reproductive organs.

Lesson

1 Estrogen

The source of estrogen is found in the ovary, placenta, and testis.

These are found mostly in females and in low levels in males.
There are two types of estrogen:
a. 17-beta-Estradiol
b. Estrone
c. Estriol

The functions of estrogen are the following:

1. Growth and development of fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, and
external genitalia. In females, estrogens also control the
development of secondary sex characteristics.
2. These hormones control different stages of the menstrual cycle
in females.
 3. In males and females, estrogen promotes normal bone
development and density.
4. Estrogen inhibits Leutenizing Hormone release.
The normal range of estrogen in male is only 30-200 pmol/l, while 100-
1500 pmol/l in females.

History of Estrogen Research

During the extensive studies of sex hormones in the 1920s, American
biochemist, Edward Doisy discovered how to isolate and purify estrogens.
 Compounds that have this basic 4-ring structure of carbon atoms are
called “steroids”. The side chains of H and OH distinguish the different kinds
of steroids.

Lesson

2 Progesterone

The source of progesterone is found in the corpus luteum, adrenal

cortex, and placenta.

Normal levels of progesterone in female is 6 – 60 nmol/l

Its functions are the following:

1. Stimulation and growth of mammary glands.
2. Plays role in conception and maintenance of pregnancy.
3. Inhibition of FSH and LH (Contraception)

A German biochemist, Adolf Butenandt, isolated progesterone from the

urine of pregnant women.

How estrogens and progesterone achieve their effects?

1. Steroids like estrogens and progesterones are small, hydrophobic
molecules that are transported in the blood bound to a serum globulin.

2. In “target” cells (cells that change their gene expression in response to

the hormone), they bind to receptor proteins located in the cytoplasm
and/or nucleus.

3. The hormone-receptor complex enters the nucleus and binds to

specific sequences of DNA, called the estrogen (or progesterone)
response elements.
Lesson

3 Testosterone

Testosterone, like estrogen, is also a steroid hormone. It is found in

males and in smaller amount in females.

In males, testosterone controls the development of secondary sex

characteristics such as facial hair and increased muscle mass.

Testosterone in males is produced by the testicles.

History of Testosterone
Testosterone was then isolated in 1935 by Karoly David, E.
Dingemanse, J. Freud, and Ernst Laqueur

Butenandt, who was also involved in estrogen research, studied

testosterone and chemically synthesized it and worked out its chemical
structure.

Lesson

4 Hormone Replacement Therapy

  Menopause occurs in older women when the ovaries
stop producing estrogen, resulting in a stopping of
menstrual cycles and loss of fertility.

 Postmenopausal women receive estrogen therapy to

help prevent bone loss and control symptoms of
menopause. In this therapy, women are given the
estrogen their ovaries no longer produce.

Favorable Effects
 Hormone replacement therapy does more than relieve symptoms of
menopause.
 It has been shown that bone fractures decrease by 50 – 70 % and
bone density increases by ~5%.
 Also, cardiovascular disease is less prevalent in women who receive
this therapy.

Bad Side Effects

 The most serious drawback of hormone
replacement therapy are blood clots.
 These can be dangerous if they occur
in the circulatory system because they
can block the flow of blood.

Congratulations! You have just finished module 1 of the 3rd quarter.

You may now start answering the worksheet.
President Garcia Memorial Institute of Technology
Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur
 SCIENCE 10 3rd Quarter – Module 1 Worksheet (Week 1)

Instructions:
1. Take your time in answering the activities.
2. The activities were made to assess how well you understood the lesson, so make sure to answer all of it.
3. Submission of requirements will include this activity sheet ONLY, no need for you to pass the learning
module.
4. Make sure to write your name and class section on the space provided.

Name: _________________________________________
Section: ________________

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the learner shall be able to:
1. Explain the role of hormones involved in the female and male reproductive systems

ASSESSMENT
Answer as directed. You can do a research on the internet for additional information.

1. Differentiate progesterone from testosterone.

2. Differentiate glands from hormones.

.

3. Discuss on the importance of hormones in the maintenance of body functions.

4. Enumerate at least 5 other hormones in the body and provide a short description for each.