The Role of Hormones in Human Behavior. I. Changes in Female Sexuality After Adrenalectomy

Waxenberg, Sheldon E.; Drellich, Marvin G.; Sutherland, Arthur M.

doi:10.1097/00006254-196002000-00025

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…16,24,26 Among males with normal testosterone levels, testosterone has not been shown to facilitate erection. 27 In an early study of women who had undergone bilateral oophorectomy and adrenalectomy, 28 removal of the ovaries decreased sexual desire to a certain extent, but removal of the adrenal glands had an even more deleterious effect on sexual desire. The findings from this and similar studies conducted in patients with cancer 29 and patients with polycystic ovaries 30 are limited by the unique characteristics of the patients and by the anecdotal and uncontrolled nature of the reports.…”

Section: Androgensmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neurobiology of Sexual Function

Meston¹,

Frohlich²

2000

Arch Gen Psychiatry

369

234

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This article provides a review of the past and current literature on the neurobiology of sexual function. The influence of endocrine, neurotransmitter, and central nervous system influences on male and female sexual function are discussed for sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm or ejaculation stages of sexual responding. Endocrine factors reviewed include the following: androgens, estrogens, progesterone, prolactin, oxytocin, cortisol, and pheromones. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides discussed include nitric oxide, serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, opioids, acetylcholine, histamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. Central nervous system influences on sexual function are discussed briefly with reference to brainstem regions, the hypothalamus, and the forebrain.

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Section: Androgensmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neurobiology of Sexual Function

Meston¹,

Frohlich²

2000

Arch Gen Psychiatry

369

234

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“…That interest does not suddenly wane is suggested by persistence of masturbation of premenopausal frequency. In this connection it also should be noted that administration of estrogen does not increase sex interest in the human female (8) as contrasted with the female of many species of lower animals.…”

Section: The Femalementioning

confidence: 86%

The Gonads and Aging*

Shipley

1962

J American Geriatrics Society

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The aging process in the human female, as contrasted with lower animals, results in an abrupt termination rather than a gradual diminution in reproductive function. Cessation of ovulation at the menopause is caused by exhaustion of the supply of maturing ova. With failure of ovulation no new follicles develop. With lack of follicular growth, much less estrogen is secreted. Pituitary function is still intact at this time. Indeed the pituitary secretes increased amounts of ovarian stimulant (gonadotropin) as a consequence of decreased ovarian hormone secretion.The germinal cells of the testis do not invariably involute with age, nor do they seem to degenerate abruptly. Nevertheless about half of men over age 70 will have lost their spermatogenic function (1). Whether the testis usually secretes less androgen in the aged state is a matter of conjecture. If such should be the case, the human male and female alike would be in a relative state of sex hormone deficiency in late life. Because the known effects of sex hormones are not confined to reproductive organs, two questions would logically emerge: 1) Are degenerative processes of nonreproductive organs and tissues accelerated by sex hormone deficiency in late life? and 2) short of overt degeneration, is the function of such organs impaired?Historically, many attempts at rejuvenation were based on "gland" therapy. The intent was to restore not only sex function but also body vigor and wellbeing in general. Curiously enough, attention was focused principally on the testis, even though it was ovarian failure in the female which was recognized as the cause of a "change of life" supposedly fraught with a variety of hazards. Perhaps a woman received little sympathy because she was supposed to "adjust," and seemingly did so, whereas the aging man, becoming less potent sexually and weaker physically, was faced with something he didn't care to adjust to.In the discussion which follows some of the evidence bearing on sex hormones in relation to organ function and tissue degeneration in the aging human will be considered. As might be anticipated, the evidence is often scanty, sometimes suggestive, and rarely conclusive. THE FEMALEIn much of the medical literature of the not too distant past, major emphasis was placed on the acute manifestations of the menopause. The "change of life"

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“…Similarly, women for whom androgen therapy is prescribed often report an increase of sexual desire as a side effect (Money, 1961). Conversely, normal women deprived of their normal adrenal androgens by either adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy experience a lessening or loss of libido (Schon and Sutherland, 1960;Waxenberg et al, 1959). That this does not happen after ovariectomy (which deprives them of oestrogens but not androgens) illustrates the areimportance of female hormones in this connection.…”

Section: The Development Of Sex "Drive"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Normal Psychosexual Development *

Rutter

1970

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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PSYCHOSEXUAL issues occupy a central place in child development both because of the importance of sexual interests in any consideration of social and emotional behaviour and because theories of development have so often regarded sexual drive and its focus as causal influences in relation to personality formation.In examining what happens in normal psychosexual development it will be necessary to consider many different and disparate areas, for sexuality is a complex subject which incorporates many relatively independent subdivisions. In order to set the scene for psychological issues, the physical changes associated with sexual development will be described. Hormonal changesBefore puberty there are no sizeable sex differences in sex hormone production. In both boys and girls small amounts of androgens and oestrogens are producedprobably by the adrenals (Tanner, 1962). The production of androgens increases in both sexes at about 8-10 yr with a further much sharper rise in adolescence. This later rise is present in girls and boys but it is much more marked in the latter so that greater androgen excretion in the male is first evident only at puberty. The excretion of oestrogens gradually rises in both sexes from about age 7 yr. During adolescence there is a very large and sharp further increase in girls but only a very small increase in boys. The adolescent increase in androgens and oestrogens is due to increasing hormone production by the gonads stimulated by gonadotrophins from the anterior pituitary gland (Fitschen and Clayton, 1965). Growth of gonads and development of secondary sexual characteristicsThere is very little growth in the weight of the gonads in either sex up to the time of adolescence, when, of course, there is a very marked development (Tanner, 1962).In boys, the first sign of impending puberty is usually an acceleration of the growth of the testes and scrotum, accompanied by slight and later great growth of pubic hair. At the same time there is development of the penis, a considerable height spurt, enlargement of the larynx and deepening of the voice. About 2 yr after the beginning of pubic hair growth, axillary and facial hair first appear and there are changes in physique associated with an acceleration in the development of muscular strength. There are two main points to notice in relation to the physical changes at

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The Role of Hormones in Human Behavior. I. Changes in Female Sexuality After Adrenalectomy

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The Neurobiology of Sexual Function

The Neurobiology of Sexual Function

The Gonads and Aging*

Normal Psychosexual Development *

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