How does a fetus become masculinized? It turns out, it’s not just about testosterone—it’s about a complex back-and-forth between the developing brain and the gonads.
We’ve known for a while that testosterone produced by the fetal testes plays a big role. But when you block that testosterone, something surprising happens: masculinization of the brain still goes ahead, at least in part. That’s raised a key question—if you block gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), is that enough to suppress pituitary-testicular function and prevent brain masculinization?
This matters. The way the brain and gonads develop before birth sets the stage for hormonal function and behavior long after birth. We’re still figuring out how resilient these pathways are—and what happens when they’re disrupted.
Find this paper in Endocrinology and in Pubmed.