Hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis

Okay kiddo, let me explain the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in a way that’s easy to understand. You have three important parts in your body that help you grow and change as you get older - the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the gonads.

The hypothalamus is like the captain of your body. It tells your pituitary gland what to do. The pituitary gland is like the messenger between your hypothalamus and your gonads. It tells your gonads what to do.

Your gonads are your testes (if you’re a boy) or ovaries (if you’re a girl). They make important hormones that help you grow and change as you get older.

So how exactly does this work? Well, it all starts when the hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland to release a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone then tells the pituitary gland to release two more hormones - follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).

FSH and LH then travel to your gonads and tell them to start making hormones. In boys, LH tells the testes to make testosterone (which helps them develop male characteristics like body hair and deeper voices). In girls, LH and FSH tell the ovaries to make estrogen (which helps them develop female characteristics like breasts and wider hips) and progesterone (which helps regulate the menstrual cycle).

So that’s basically how the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis works. Your hypothalamus tells your pituitary gland to release hormones, which then tell your gonads to make hormones that help you grow and change as you get older. It’s a pretty important process that helps us become adults.