What are the actions of testosterone prior to birth, during puberty, and throughout life?
Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It is a steroid hormone and is responsible for the development of male reproductive tissues, such as testes and prostate. It also promotes secondary sexual characteristics such as muscles and bone mass in males. Ovaries of females also secrete a small amount of testosterone. FSH and LH stimulate the testes to secrete testosterone, which stimulates sperm cell production and the development of secondary sex characteristics.
Prior to birth:
The effects of testosterone in prenatal development include genital virilization or masculinization in which changes that cause sex differences occur. It also involves in the development of the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, and external genitalia.
Testosterone, along with anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) promotes the growth of the Wolffian duct and degeneration of the Mullerian duct respectively and this leads to the femininization or masculinization of the fetus.
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