Welcome to your go-to spot for all things hormones and the endocrine system! If you're revising for exams and need a clear, straightforward understanding, you're in the right place. We've got a fantastic collection of easy-to-read articles, podcast episodes, and videos that break down everything you need to know. Whether you're looking to ace that next exam, find out about careers in the health sector or just curious about how your body works, we've got the information to help you out!
Check out our collection of KS4 curriculum-linked articles about hormones and the endocrine system:
This article explains what feedback loops are and how they work. It explains the difference between positive and negative feedback loops, and gives examples of how both are used in the body.
Sugar is a tasty treat but it is also vital for life. Nearly every living cell on Earth uses a sugar called glucose as its primary energy source. Including the cells that make up our bodies.
About one in every twenty people in the UK have diabetes mellitus, so it’s very likely that you know someone who is diabetic. The most common are Type 1 and Type 2.
Gestational diabetes is development of high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy. Strict blood glucose control in pregnant women improves outcomes for both the mother and child.
Insulin is a type of hormone. Its job is to tell our cells when there’s a lot of sugar in our blood. This is important because cells need sugar for energy, and also because too much sugar in the blood can be dangerous. When cells don’t receive insulin’s message, it causes a disease called diabetes mellitus.
The pancreas is an organ near the stomach. Most of its cells make digestive enzymes for the gut. Other cells make important hormones, including insulin, which control (regulate) the movement of sugar in the body.
Sugar is a tasty treat but it is also vital for life. Nearly every living cell on Earth uses a sugar called glucose as its primary energy source. Including the cells that make up our bodies.
Thyroid cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the thyroid gland which may spread to areas around the thyroid and to other parts of the body. Thyroid cancer can affect people of all ages. Most patients are cured by the treatments now available.
Cancer is a condition where some of a person’s own cells start to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. These cancer cells behave differently from the original cells and can gain new abilities normally found in other cell types.
Adipose tissue (body fat) is crucial for health. Along with fat cells, adipose tissue contains numerous nerve cells and blood vessels, storing and releasing energy to fuel the body and releasing important hormones vital to the body's needs.
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and other specified feeding or eating disorders can influence hormone levels causing physical and psychological problems. Eating disorders can affect hormones that regulate metabolism, fertility and pregnancy.
Hormones work to ensure that we consume the right amount of food we need to fuel our bodies each day. They are responsible for signalling to the brain when it’s time to start eating and also when to stop eating. When these signals don’t function properly, this can promote obesity.
Insulin is a type of hormone. Its job is to tell our cells when there’s a lot of sugar in our blood. This is important because cells need sugar for energy, and also because too much sugar in the blood can be dangerous. When cells don’t receive insulin’s message, it causes a disease called diabetes mellitus.
Is type 2 diabetes really a “lifestyle disease”? Why do some people develop diabetes even though they’re eating healthily while many obese people escape the disease? How can your environment shape your diabetes risk before you’re even born?
Rickets is a condition in children where there is abnormal softening of the bones due to the lack of key minerals. It is also known as osteomalacia in adults.
Sugar is a tasty treat but it is also vital for life. Nearly every living cell on Earth uses a sugar called glucose as its primary energy source. Including the cells that make up our bodies.
Cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone) is a steroid hormone that regulates a very wide range of processes throughout the body. It is perhaps most famous for its role in helping the body respond to stress.
The endocrine system is one of two major communication networks in the body. The other is the nervous system. These two systems allow cells to communicate across distance. This is necessary for our cells to be able to work together as a single organism.
This article explains what feedback loops are and how they work. It explains the difference between positive and negative feedback loops, and gives examples of how both are used in the body.
An organ is called a gland if it releases useful substances which travel through the body. The substances released by a gland are nearly always produced by its own cells.
Hormones are chemical messengers. They are nearly always made by endocrine glands, and they travel in the blood. Their signals can affect different organs and tissues in different ways. Hormones are especially important for growth, metabolism, appetite, puberty, and sexual reproduction.
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate all of our body's essential functions for health and survival, including growth, metabolism and reproduction.
Addison’s disease is an endocrine condition where the adrenal glands stop functioning, so that the body no longer produce enough steroid hormones. Treatment is with hormone replacement therapy and some lifestyle adaptations to ensure patients remain well.
The adrenal glands are small glands attached to the top of each kidney. The human body has two adrenal glands that release chemical messengers called hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones travel via the blood to have an action in other parts of the human body.
The hormone adrenaline helps prepare the body for action in a crisis. Its effects on the body include sharpening senses, getting muscles ready to work hard, and reducing pain. Its powerful effects make it useful as a drug, including for use in treating severe allergic reactions (called anaphylaxis).
Cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone) is a steroid hormone that regulates a very wide range of processes throughout the body. It is perhaps most famous for its role in helping the body respond to stress.
Many couples experience difficulties in conceiving a child. About one in six UK couples find themselves unable to conceive after a year of trying. At this point, they are considered to have infertility. But it’s important to understand that this diagnosis does not mean it is impossible that they could still naturally conceive.
IVF is used by couples experiencing infertility. It can overcome a number of different barriers to pregnancy. It can also be used with donor sperm and eggs, or when using a surrogate.
The placenta is a temporary endocrine organ formed during pregnancy, which produces hormones important in the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy and in preparation for labour and breastfeeding.
Prolactin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, named because of its role in lactation. It also has other wide-ranging functions in the body, from acting on the reproductive system to influencing behaviour and regulating the immune system.
Relaxin is a hormone produced by the ovary and the placenta with important effects in the female reproductive system and during pregnancy. In preparation for childbirth, it relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and softens and widens the cervix.
The ovaries produce and release eggs (oocytes) into the female reproductive tract at the mid-point of each menstrual cycle. They also produce the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone and androgens.
Follicle stimulating hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. It regulates the functions of both the ovaries and testes. Lack or low levels of it can cause subfertility in both men and women.
Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone is released from the hypothalamus in the brain. It controls the production of luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland.
Kisspeptin is a protein that is essential for reproductive hormone secretion and fertility. The gene (which provides the blue-print for the kisspeptin protein) was first discovered in 1996 by a group of researchers working in Hershey, Pennsylvania in the USA. It is therefore named after the city's chocolate 'Kisses', which are made in Hershey.
Oxytocin is a hormone that acts on organs in the body (including the breast and uterus) and as a chemical messenger in the brain controlling key aspects of the female reproductive system including childbirth and lactation.
Progesterone is a hormone released by the corpus luteum in the ovary. It plays important roles in the menstrual cycle and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy.
Prolactin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, named because of its role in lactation. It also has other wide-ranging functions in the body, from acting on the reproductive system to influencing behaviour and regulating the immune system.
The prostaglandins are a group of lipids (fats) made at sites of tissue damage or infection that have actions similar to hormones and are involved in dealing with injury and illness. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, the formation of blood clots and the induction of labour.
Relaxin is a hormone produced by the ovary and the placenta with important effects in the female reproductive system and during pregnancy. In preparation for childbirth, it relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and softens and widens the cervix.
Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for many of the physical characteristics specific to adult males. It plays a key role in reproduction and the maintenance of bone and muscle strength.
Many couples experience difficulties in conceiving a child. About one in six UK couples find themselves unable to conceive after a year of trying. At this point, they are considered to have infertility. But it’s important to understand that this diagnosis does not mean it is impossible that they could still naturally conceive.
Puberty is when a child experiences physical and emotional changes that occur as their body begins to develop and change, transitioning into adulthood. These changes happen gradually over time.
IVF is used by couples experiencing infertility. It can overcome a number of different barriers to pregnancy. It can also be used with donor sperm and eggs, or when using a surrogate.
The menstrual cycle is a repeated pattern of changes in the female body. Its purpose is to prepare the body for the possibility of pregnancy . The menstrual cycle takes about a month to complete and is driven by a variety of hormones. The hormones are used to signal when the different stages of the cycle should happen.
Precocious puberty is the abnormally early development of any secondary sexual characteristics: before the age of nine years in a boy and eight years of age in a girl.
Progesterone is a hormone released by the corpus luteum in the ovary. It plays important roles in the menstrual cycle and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy.
Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for many of the physical characteristics specific to adult males. It plays a key role in reproduction and the maintenance of bone and muscle strength.
Many couples experience difficulties in conceiving a child. About one in six UK couples find themselves unable to conceive after a year of trying. At this point, they are considered to have infertility. But it’s important to understand that this diagnosis does not mean it is impossible that they could still naturally conceive.
IVF is used by couples experiencing infertility. It can overcome a number of different barriers to pregnancy. It can also be used with donor sperm and eggs, or when using a surrogate.
The menstrual cycle is a repeated pattern of changes in the female body. Its purpose is to prepare the body for the possibility of pregnancy . The menstrual cycle takes about a month to complete and is driven by a variety of hormones. The hormones are used to signal when the different stages of the cycle should happen.
Progesterone is a hormone released by the corpus luteum in the ovary. It plays important roles in the menstrual cycle and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy.
Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for many of the physical characteristics specific to adult males. It plays a key role in reproduction and the maintenance of bone and muscle strength.
There is a great deal of ongoing research into developing new male contraceptive options. However, currently, the only available male contraceptive options are undergoing a surgical procedure called a vasectomy and using a condom.
Find out more about the endocrine system
There are many endocrine glands in your body that release different hormones, each playing a crucial role in maintaining your health every second of the day. These hormones regulate everything from your metabolism to your mood, often working behind the scenes in ways you may not even realise!
