androgen
Meaning of androgen: Androgens are steroid hormones, testosterone chief among them, that drive male sexual development and also influence muscle and bone in both sexes.
Definition of androgen
An androgen is a type of steroid hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics. Testosterone is the principal circulating androgen, produced mainly by the testes in men, with smaller amounts produced by the adrenal glands in both sexes and by the ovaries in women.
Androgens direct the development of male reproductive organs before birth and drive the physical changes of puberty in boys, including growth of facial and body hair, deepening of the voice, and increased muscle mass. Beyond their role in sexual development, androgens also contribute to bone density, muscle mass, and libido in people of any sex.
Androgens are used medically for hormone replacement in people with low levels, and in cancer care, androgen suppressing medications are used to treat certain cancers, such as prostate cancer, that depend on androgens to grow.
Used in a sentence
Androgen levels were measured as part of the evaluation for the patient's symptoms.
Good to know
Androgens are present and physiologically active in people of every sex, not solely in men, even though their most familiar role is directing the development of male characteristics.
Word origin
Where “androgen” comes from
Formed from Greek andro-, meaning man, and -gen, meaning producing.