estrogen

[es-truh-juhn]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of several major sex hormones produced primarily by the ovarian follicles of mammals, capable of inducing estrus, developing and maintaining secondary female sex characteristics, and preparing the uterus for the reception of a fertilized egg: used, especially in synthetic form, as a component of oral contraceptives, in certain cancer treatments, and in other therapies.

estrogen

/ ˌɛstrəˈdʒɛnɪk, ˈɛstrədʒən, ˌiːstrə-, ˈiːstrə- /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of oestrogen

estrogen

1. Any of a group of steroid hormones that primarily regulate the growth, development, and function of the female reproductive system. The main sources of estrogen in the body are the ovaries and the placenta. Estrogen-like compounds are also formed by certain plants.

estrogen

1. A group of hormones, secreted mainly by the ovaries, that influence the female reproductive system in many ways, notably in preparing the body for ovulation and in the development of female secondary sex characteristics.

Other Word Forms

• antiestrogen noun
• estrogenic adjective
• estrogenically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of estrogen¹

First recorded in 1925–30; estr(us) + -o- + -gen

Example Sentences

A recent investigation offers new insight by examining the role of estrogen, a hormone central to the female reproductive cycle.

Read more on Science Daily

The FDA called for the removal of its strongest warning on hormone treatments, which were once commonly prescribed to combat declining estrogen levels in middle-aged women.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There wouldn’t be much reason to worry “about the direction of men,” she observes, “if it were really as predetermined by how much testosterone you have and how much estrogen I have.”

Read more on Salon

The pill is an oral selective oestrogen receptor, designed to fight tumors driven by the hormone estrogen, which are estimated to account for up to 70% of all breast cancer cases.

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Menopausal hormone therapy, or hormone replacement therapy, as it is also called, was once commonly prescribed to combat declining estrogen levels in middle-aged women.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal