Reproductive System & Sexual Disorders: Current Research
Open Access

Sex Hormone Journals

Sex steroids are important for the skeletal growth and maintenance of both the female and the male skeleton. However, the relative contribution of androgens versus estrogens in the regulation of the male skeleton remains unclear. The effects of testosterone (T) can be exerted either directly through the androgen receptor or indirectly via aromatization to estradiol (E2) and activation of estrogen receptor-α and/or -β. All three of these sex steroid receptors are expressed in bone and experimental animal studies have indicated that each of these three receptors mediates site-specific skeletal effects of sex steroids