"Gonad."
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 23 Jul 2006, 06:39 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Aug 2006 <
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...oldid=65336934>.
"The
gonad is the organ that makes
gametes. Gametes are
haploid germ cells. For example,
sperm and
egg cells are gametes.
In males, the gonads, known as the testes, secrete the class of hormones called androgens. The predominant androgen in males is testosterone. In females, the gonads, known as the ovaries, secrete estrogen and progesterone. The dominant estrogen is known as estradiol, which is derived from testosterone.
The gonads are controlled hormonally by luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. The anterior pituitary gland's excretion of LH and FSH are, in turn, controlled by the hypothalamus's gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
Gonads start developing as a common
anlage, and only later are differentiated to male or female
sex organs. The
SRY gene, located on the
Y chromosome and encoding the
testis determining factor, decides the direction of this differentiation.
Although it can refer to
testicles or
ovaries when used in a medical context, the slang use of "gonads" (or "nads") usually only refers to testicles. The usage of such is similar to "balls." The scientific name for male gonads is testicles."