Sex Hormones Tests Health Article

Definition

Sex hormones tests measure levels of the sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Purpose

The sex hormone tests are ordered to determine if secretion of these hormones is normal. Estrogen fraction test is done to evaluate sexual maturity, menstrual problems, and fertility problems in females. This test may also be used to test for tumors that excrete estrogen. In pregnant women it aids in determining fetal-placental health. Estrogen fraction is also used to evaluate males who have enlargement of one or both breasts (gynecomastia), or who have feminization syndromes, where they display female sex characteristics.

Progesterone assay test is ordered to evaluate women who are having difficulty becoming pregnant or maintaining a pregnancy, and to monitor high-risk pregnancies.

Testosterone levels are ordered to evaluate:

• ambiguous sex characteristics
• precocious puberty
• virilizing syndromes in the female
• infertility in the male
• rare tumors of the ovary and testicle

Description

The sex hormones control the development of primary and secondary sexual characteristics. They regulate the sex-related functions of the body, such as the menstrual cycle or the production of eggs or sperm. There are three main types of sex hormones:

• the female sex hormones (called the estrogen hormones)
• the progesterone hormones (which help the body prepare for and maintain pregnancy)
• the male sex hormones, or the androgen hormones

Female sex hormones are responsible for normal menstruation and the development of secondary female characteristics. Testosterone is a hormone that induces puberty in the male and maintains male secondary sex characteristics. In females, the adrenal glands and the ovaries secrete small amounts of testosterone.

Estrogen

Estrogen is tested to evaluate menstrual status, sexual maturity, and gynecomastia (or feminization syndromes). It is a tumor marker for patients with certain ovarian tumors. E1, a type of estrogen, is the most active estrogen in the nonpregnant female.

E3 (estriol) is the major estrogen in the pregnant female. It is produced in the placenta. Excretion of estriol increases around the eighth week of gestation and continues to rise until shortly before delivery. Serial urine and blood studies of this hormone are used to assess placental function and fetal normality in high-risk pregnancies. Falling values during pregnancy suggest fetoplacental deterioration and require prompt reassessment of the pregnancy, including the possibility of early delivery.