Preface

Reproductive hormones are important derivatives of the cholesterol pathway with widespread implications for the human body. The production of sex steroid hormones is an integral product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) released in a pulsatile fashion from the hypothalamus. At the pituitary gland, GnRH stimulates the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH and LH bind to receptors in target tissues to increase expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) to transfer cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane; a rate-determining step in sex steroid production. In this book, we explore the interactions of estrogens, androgens, and progestins on their receptors and the downstream effects on multiple organ systems.

#### **Courtney A. Marsh MD, MPH**

Associate Professor, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA

**1**

Section 1

Sex Steroid Hormones

Section 1
