Androgens are male sex hormones that play a crucial role in both the male body and the female body. It is important that the level of these hormones is normal. Any deviations from normal values pose serious consequences for the body. Androgen - what is it? We will try to answer this question in the article.
Androgens
This is the generalized name for steroid hormones that are produced by the adrenal cortex and gonads (in men, the testes, in women, the ovaries). Their main property is to induce virilization, androgenization of the body in certain concentrations, that is, to promote the development of secondary sexual characteristics in both sexes.
Androgen function
They have antibacterial and anabolic effects, increase protein synthesis and prevent their breakdown.
They increase the activity of glycolytic enzymes (in particular, hexokinase), due to which the cells utilize glucose faster.
Lower blood glucose. Increase strength and muscle mass.
Reduce the total amount of subcutaneous fat and reduce fat mass in relation to muscle mass. However, under their influence, fat deposition according to the male type can occur (on the abdomen) and a simultaneous decrease in body fat in typically female places - on the hips, buttocks, and chest.
Androgen is a hormone that increases the excitability of the psychosexual center of the central nervous system, sexual desire (libido) in both sexes, the strength and frequency of penile erections in men, and the strength of clitoris erections in women.
Androgens reduce the content of lipids and cholesterol in the blood, prevent the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular ailments.
Thanks to androgens, secondary sexual characteristics appear or develop: the voice coarsens and lowers, the hair grows on the male and female type, the fluffy hair turns into terminal hair, perspiration secretion increases and its smell changes, the penis and testicles in men increase to the genetically maximum sizes, pigmentation of the scrotum and nipples develops, a male type of skeleton and face is formed, the size of the prostate and the amount of secretion in it increase.
Androgen is a hormone that, with a certain genetic predisposition, can cause male pattern baldness.
What effect do androgens have on the female body?
So, androgen - what it is and what functions it performs in the human body, we found out. Now we will analyze how the excessive content of these hormones affects the female body. For women, these hormones are vital. Androgens regulate the work of sweat glands and hair follicles, promote the formation of proteins in muscle fibers. The distribution of hair on the body depends on them. All this is characteristic of a healthy female body.
If the level of androgens is increased, the picture changes significantly. Hair begins to grow on the chest, face, lower abdomen, but on the head, on the contrary, baldness occurs. With an excessive content of these hormones, the sebaceous glands begin to produce a large amount of fat, it remains in the epithelium, not having time to reach the surface of the skin, resulting in acne. The smell of sweat changes. The development of the upper body. The amount of fat in the lower part decreases, the physique of a woman begins to resemble a man. The mammary glands are noticeably reduced. The menstrual cycle is broken. The voice is getting rougher.
The effect of androgens on pregnancy
An excess of androgens in the body provokes a disease such as hyperandrogenism. This condition is characterized by various changes in the endocrine system, which can be very dangerous. The presence of such an ailment during pregnancy becomes the cause of miscarriage, that is, leads to a miscarriage that occurs in the early stages.
What contributes to the development of hyperandrogenism during gestation?
Reasons may vary. This condition causes thyroid ailments, inflammatory processes, cancers and others. Symptoms of hyperandrogenism are diverse: acne, obesity, premature discharge of amniotic fluid, weak labor and so on.
Detecting a disease is easy enough. Pregnant women undergo ultrasound examination of the genitals. Also required tomography, ultrasound of the adrenal glands, urine and blood tests. The treatment of this condition is determined individually. How to lower androgens in women will be described below.
How do androgens affect skin condition?
During puberty , the production of hormones in the body increases, which can cause the appearance of a large number of acne. The work of the fat glands directly depends on the functioning of the endocrine system. The glands can be "lazy" or, conversely, work in intensive mode. The skin, depending on this, becomes more oily or dry.
Acne can form as a result of ailments of the endocrine system, for example, with ovarian dysfunction. In addition, the production of androgens depends on the emotional state of a person. In people who are often in a strong psychological stress or state of depression, the level of these hormones is far from normal values.
The lack of androgens in the male body
A condition in which androgens are produced in insufficient quantities is called hypogonadism. As a rule, such a phenomenon is diagnosed after fifty years, but there are frequent cases when this ailment develops by thirty years. If androgens in men are reduced, deviations in the functioning of various body systems are possible. The following phenomena may occur:
weak erection, decreased sexual desire, anorgasmia, worsening sperm motility, frequent urination;
sudden drops and rises in blood pressure, impaired heart function, feeling of suffocation, dizziness, migraine;
weakness, nervousness, decreased concentration, sleep disturbance, apathy, depression;
bones become more fragile, muscle mass is replaced by fat, hair loss occurs in the lower abdomen, and the skin condition worsens.
Prostatitis
Most often, men go to the doctor with this particular ailment. Prostatitis worsens not only the physical, but also the emotional state of a man. Every year, the disease is increasingly diagnosed in young people. Ongoing therapeutic measures do not always guarantee recovery. Quite often, the disease takes a chronic form, which threatens infertility. Prostatitis is accompanied by dysbiosis of the genitourinary system, which can cause problems with conception.
Androgens are a kind of antibiotic, but today the mechanism of this property of hormones is poorly understood. However, during medical experiments it was found that pathogenic microflora become less active when exposed to testosterone. This suggests that androgens are able to normalize the microflora of the genitourinary organs.
Medications containing androgens
Drugs made on the basis of male sex hormones, in particular on the basis of testosterone, are called anabolic steroids. Means are available in the form of tablets (the drug "Methandrostenolone") and injection (medication "Winstrol"). Medicines have a pronounced androgenic effect due to the presence of a huge amount of testosterone in the composition. These medications can be used to increase the level of androgens, but this should be really necessary.
Androgenic drugs have a good therapeutic effect in the treatment of menopause in women. Hormonal changes during this period can cause nerve breakdowns and tantrums. Medicines containing androgens help normalize a woman’s emotional state. In some diseases, it is undesirable to use only female sex hormones (for example, problems with the mammary glands or pelvic organs), in this case, medicines containing androgens are prescribed to patients.
You should be aware that anabolic steroids can not only increase the amount of androgens. They also participate in the normalization of the functions of many organs and systems of the human body: they accelerate metabolism, stimulate protein and mineral metabolism, and more.
How to reduce androgens in the body?
Of course, these hormones play an important role in both the male and female body. However, androgen can trigger many health problems. What is it, we found out, now we learn ways to reduce the level of this hormone in the body.
First of all, you need to undergo a medical examination to determine the amount of male sex hormones. Based on the results of the tests, the endocrinologist will prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Antiandrogens are taken to reduce the level of androgens. The action of such funds is aimed at reducing the synthesis of hormones and preventing their concentration in certain areas of the body. One of them is the Finasteride medication, it is used for severe hirsutism (male type hair). Flutamide also belongs to antiandrogens; it helps to lower testosterone in the blood. However, you should know that this tool can have a toxic effect.
More effective and safer are progestogen medicines. The drug "Cyproterone" has androgen activity. Due to the progestogen properties, the drug suppresses ovulation, thereby preventing the synthesis of hormones in the ovaries.
The contraceptive "Diane-35" helps to eliminate the signs of androgenization. The drug is used in the treatment of mild hirsutism. Long-term use of the drug helps to normalize the menstrual cycle, reduce the size of the ovaries, and reduce the amount of acne.
Treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of a specialist. To prevent the occurrence of side effects, you must always carefully study the instructions for the drug. Having completed the full course of medication, the examination is recommended to be repeated. You may need a second course of treatment.
From this article, you learned more information about the androgen hormone - what it is, what functions these hormones perform in the human body, and how to normalize their level.