OESTROGEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does oestrogen mean? 

• OESTROGEN (noun)
  The noun OESTROGEN has 1 sense:

1. a general term for female steroid sex hormones that are secreted by the ovary and responsible for typical female sexual characteristics

  Familiarity information: OESTROGEN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OESTROGEN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A general term for female steroid sex hormones that are secreted by the ovary and responsible for typical female sexual characteristics

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

estrogen; oestrogen

Hypernyms ("oestrogen" is a kind of...):

sex hormone; steroid; steroid hormone (any hormone affecting the development and growth of sex organs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "oestrogen"):

DES; diethylstilbestrol; diethylstilboestrol; stilbestrol; stilboestrol (a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry)

estradiol; oestradiol (the most powerful female hormone that occurs naturally; synthesized and used to treat estrogen deficiency and breast cancer)

estriol; oestriol (a naturally occurring estrogenic hormone; a synthetic form is used to treat estrogen deficiency)

estrone; Estronol; oestrone; theelin (a naturally occurring weak estrogenic hormone secreted by the mammalian ovary; synthesized (trade name Estronol) and used to treat estrogen deficiency)

hexestrol (estrogen compound used to treat menstrual irregularities and menopausal symptoms and to prevent pregnancy)

mestranol (a synthetic form of estrogen used in combination with a progestin in oral contraceptives)

 Context examples 

High levels of prenatal oestrogens were even more predictive of likelihood of autism than were high levels of prenatal androgens (such as testosterone).

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)

Scientist have identified a link between exposure to high levels of oestrogen sex hormones in the womb and the likelihood of developing autism.

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)

This is an important next step because some of the hormones previously studied are directly converted into oestrogens.

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)

All four oestrogens were significantly elevated, on average, in the 98 foetuses who later developed autism, compared to the 177 foetuses who did not.

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)

Contrary to popular belief that associates oestrogens with feminisation, prenatal oestrogens have effects on brain growth and also masculinise the brain in many mammals.

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)

Today, the same scientists have built on their previous findings by testing the amniotic fluid samples from the same 98 individuals sampled from the Danish Biobank, which has collected amniotic samples from over 100,000 pregnancies, but this time looking at another set of prenatal sex steroid hormones called oestrogens.

(High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism, University of Cambridge)