Estrogen is one of the sex hormones produced by the ovaries in females and the testes in males. They are known as female hormones because they are found in greater amounts in females than in males. It plays a dominant role in the female reproductive system. It influences growth, puberty, and regulates the reproductive cycle of menstruation and pregnancy. In addition, it affects many other body parts such as the bones, skin, arteries, the brain etc.

During puberty, estrogens stimulate linear growth and skeletal maturation. They cause behavioral changes and promote the development of both primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Primary female sexual characteristics include the internal and external genitalia; secondary sexual characteristics include breast development and the female pattern of fat deposition. Estrogen is not just one hormone, but a group of hormones of varying degree of activity. The three most important hormones of the estrogen group...