Hormones

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Basics

• Summary
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• Diagnosis and Tests

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

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Summary

Hormones are your body's chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs. They work slowly, over time, and affect many different processes, including:

• Growth and development
• Metabolism - how your body gets energy from the foods you eat
• Sexual function
• Reproduction
• Mood

Endocrine glands, which are special groups of cells, make hormones. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands, and pancreas. In addition, men produce hormones in their testes and women produce them in their ovaries.

Hormones are powerful. It takes only a tiny amount to cause big changes in cells or even your whole body. That is why too much or too little of a certain hormone can be serious. Laboratory tests can measure the hormone levels in your blood, urine, or saliva. Your health care provider may perform these tests if you have symptoms of a hormone disorder. Home pregnancy tests are similar - they test for pregnancy hormones in your urine.

Start Here

• Endocrine Glands & Their Hormones (National Cancer Institute)
• Endocrine System (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Aldosterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Anti-Müllerian Hormone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Catecholamine Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Cortisol Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• DHEA Sulfate Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Estrogen Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Growth Hormone Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Prolactin Levels (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Renin Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• SHBG Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Testosterone Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) (Endocrine Society)
• Endocrine Disruptors (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
• Obesity (Endocrine Society)

Specifics

• Anabolic Steroids: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hormones (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Description of drugs prescribed for hormone therapy in specialized health services...
• Article: New horizons in specific hormone proteolysis.
• Article: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Is Associated with Differences in Human Milk Hormone...
• Hormones -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find an Endocrinologist (Endocrine Society)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• What Is a Pediatric Endocrinologist? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Your Endocrine System (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Endocrine System (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• Hypogonadism in Men (Endocrine Society) Also in Spanish
• Testosterone Therapy: Potential Benefits and Risks as You Age (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Women

• Headaches and Hormones: What's the Connection? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hormones and Breast Cancer (Endocrine Society) - PDF
• Menopause: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Why Is Oral Health Important for Women? (Academy of General Dentistry)

Older Adults

• Human Growth Hormone (HGH): Does It Slow Aging? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Could you have low testosterone? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Growth hormone test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Luteinizing hormone (LH) blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Prolactin blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Serum progesterone (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Testosterone (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish