The GnRH Hormone

Located inside the brain, this hormone plays the biggest role out of the five. It controls just about everything, including what the other hormones do and why they do it. The only difference between this hormone and the other four is that once pregnancy has occurred, it’s not needed anymore. However, this hormone is necessary for correct reproduction function, which means a single hormone controls the process of follicular growth, ovulation and corpus luteum maintenance in women and spermatogenesis in men.

GnRH in Depth

It’s considered a neurohormone that controls and stimulates the secretion of the hormones FSH and LH. The process is controlled by pulses of GnRH that have a variety of sizes and frequencies.  Low frequencies lead to FSH releases and high frequencies pulses lead to LH releases. The difference between men and women during this is pulses stay at a consistent and constant rhythm in men, and the pulses in women vary during the menstrual cycle with a very large amount of GnRH secreted right before ovulation.