Gonads Female ovaries and male testes both produce the same hormones, just in different amounts. These include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormones amplify sexual characteristics that are dormant before puberty. Both male and female reproductive glands are also called gonads. The danger of the wrong proportions of hormones from these glands is that their function, rather than helping to bring about new life, may encourage improper cellular changes that may become life-threatening.
Ovaries are about the size of an almond.
They lie on either side of the lower abdomen beside the uterus. They usually produce one egg each month. Whether the egg is fertilized or not, the reproductive process follows a monthly cycle, with constant changes in various hormone levels, preparing another opportunity for conception. The lining of the uterus is sluffed off when not needed, a process called menstruation. Sometime after middle-age, egg production ceases and hormone levels drop significantly, a stage of life called menopause.