Sex hormones are very important to the health of both men and women. The level of these hormones determines many things including regulation of cholesterol (estrogen), strengthening of bones (both testosterone and estrogen) and helps with pregnancy in females (progesterone) (Hormone Health Network). Thus, abnormal levels of these hormones can cause serious problems. It is important to determine what causes these changes in levels to prevent them, especially if they are involved in everyday activities such as intake of nicotine. Smoking is already known to cause a numerous number of health issues, but not much is known about its effect …show more content…
For men, testosterone is the chief sex hormone, and in both men and women causes and increase in muscle mass and strength, bone density, and sex drive. (Hormone Health Network, BodyLogicMD). However, low levels of testosterone in adults are associated with wrinkling of skin, loss of body hair, an increase in body fat, and poor sexual performance (Hormone Health Network). On the other hand, too much natural testosterone doesn't really …show more content…
For women, the chief sex hormones are estrogen and progesterone. While men have both, it is naturally present in small amounts. Estrogen is important in females because it is responsible for puberty, regulating cholesterol, protecting bone health( in men too) and even affects mood (Hormone Health Network). Women produce 3 main types of estrogen: Estradiol, Estriol and Estrone (Hormone Health Network). Estradiol is the most common type of estrogen in women of childbearing age, while Estrone is an estrogen only made after menopause. During pregnancy, Estriol is the main estrogen created. Estriol is especially important during pregnancy because in combination with tests, measuring the unconjugated estriol helps determine if the fetus’ risk for down syndrome (Grenache). When the levels of estrogen are too low in women, they may have trouble sleeping, dry skin, frequent mood swings, low sexual desire and even hot flashes( Hormone Health Network). When levels are too high , women can have fatigue, loss of sex drive, depression, weight gain in hips and thigh, fibroids, among other health