estrogen
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.
Origin of estrogen
1Other words from estrogen
- an·ti·es·tro·gen, noun
Words Nearby estrogen
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use estrogen in a sentence
You’ll find plenty of articles on “soy’s negative effects” asking whether soy increases estrogen in males.
All of this is to say that having slightly elevated estrogen levels isn’t necessarily a cause for concern regardless of your sex or gender—hormone levels change over the course of your lifetime.
Officially, menopause is caused by the natural decline of estrogen, and it’s diagnosed after 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle.
Medications that reduce the effect of estrogen can also help.
The estrogen theory for height differences isn’t new, but few human evolutionary biologists have given it much attention.
Males Are the Taller Sex. Estrogen, Not Fights for Mates, May Be Why. | Christie Wilcox | June 8, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
In fact, the estrogen that they employed did worse than castrate the subject—it could act as a cerebral depressant.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero | Clive Irving | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll 10 girls were in every single day, so there was a lot of estrogen.
Anna Kendrick on ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ Drunken Horror Stories, and Singin’ Pharrell | Marlow Stern | July 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt has an enormous dose of estrogen in it, leading to many voluptuous prisoners in New York state prisons.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison | Daniel Genis | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOrange Is the New Black returns to Netflix with a wildly addictive potion of darkness, estrogen, and one-liners.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season Two Is More Bingeworthy Than the First | Kevin Fallon | May 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNot only that, but fat cells may themselves produce estrogen and other hormones.
Why Plan B Might Not Work for Women Over 176 Pounds | Kent Sepkowitz | November 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for estrogen
/ (ˈɛstrədʒən, ˈiːstrə-) /
the usual US spelling of oestrogen
Derived forms of estrogen
- estrogenic (ˌɛstrəˈdʒɛnɪk, ˌiːstrə-), adjective
- estrogenically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for estrogen
[ ĕs′trə-jən ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for estrogen
[ (es-truh-juhn) ]
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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