Hormones

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Latest News
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Women
• Seniors
• Patient Handouts

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
• Introduction to the Endocrine System (Hormone Health Network)

Latest News

• Common Treatment for Early Prostate Cancer May Carry Heart Risk (08/25/2017, HealthDay)
• When Stress Hormone Falters, Your Health May Suffer (08/11/2017, HealthDay)
• Estrogen May Influence Women's Depression Risk (07/21/2017, HealthDay)

Diagnosis and Tests

• ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• ADH (Antidiuretic Hormone) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Aldosterone and Renin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Anti-Müllerian Hormone (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Catecholamines, Plasma and Urine Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Cortisol Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• DHEAS Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Estrogen Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Gastrin: The Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Growth Hormone (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor -1) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Insulin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• LH (Luteinizing Hormone) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Prolactin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• PTH Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Testosterone Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Thyroid Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) (Hormone Health Network)
• Endocrine Disruptors (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - PDF
• Endocrinologist: What Is an Endocrinologist? (Hormone Health Network)
• Hormones and Hypertension (Hormone Health Network) - PDF
• Hormones and Obesity (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish

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: Particulate Matter Exposure and Stress Hormone Levels: A Randomized, Double-Blind,...
• Article: Cardiovascular Disease Among Transgender Adults Receiving Hormone Therapy: A Narrative...
• Article: Effects of somatostatin/octreotide treatment in neonates with congenital chylothorax.
• Hormones -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find an Endocrinologist (Hormone Health Network)
• Hormone Health Network
• 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

• Low Testosterone and Men's Health (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
• Sexual Health: Testosterone Therapy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Women

• hCG Test (Pregnancy Test) (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Headaches and Hormones: What's the Connection? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Hormones, Women and Breast Cancer (Hormone Health Network) - PDF
• Menopause: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Progesterone Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Therapeutic Use of Androgens in Women (Hormone Health Network) - PDF
• Why Is Oral Health Important for Women? (Academy of General Dentistry)

Seniors

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

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