人生不同時期激素的產生

青春期前
青春期前，雄激素和雌激素水準在男女幾乎相等。

青春期
在青春期，激素平衡開始發生轉換。在男孩，雄激素水準比雌激素的略微上升；在女孩，雌激素水準上升遠高與雄激素的水準。青春期的男孩雄激素的增加協作產生次級性徵。有關激素在人體內的作用仍需要做出探究。不過，一些基本的事實已經明瞭：雖然性腺激素對年輕人的身體發育是必須的，但是對成人後續的性行為不再是必不可少的。換句話說，男女在青春期需要性腺激素來發展其全部的性潛能。

成年期
一旦成年男女獲得了全部的性潛能，等於說，他們/她們沒有這些激素也能發揮其性功能。有關這一點早就被人們所認識。因為，婦女在絕經期後，她們的性腺（卵巢）停止了功能，卻沒有減弱她們的性反應。許多人不大樂意承認在男性中也是如此，他們可以在剝奪性腺激素（例如，閹割）的情況下仍有性功能。在多數案例和隨著時間的過去，閹割將減弱男子的性能力和性動機。但是，有例外發生。成年人中，性活動種類各式各樣，而且不是直接依賴性腺激素水準的高低，而是同樣受到社會因素的影響。

The Production of Hormones at Different Life Stages

Before puberty
Before puberty, the androgen and estrogen levels in boys and girls are nearly equal.

Puberty
During adolescence, the hormones balance begins to shift. In the male body the androgens rise to a slightly higher level than the estrogens, and in the female body the estrogens rise to a much higher level than the androgens. In the male the increase of androgens during puberty helps to produce the male secondary sexual characteristics. There is still much to be learned about the role of hormones in the human body. Nevertheless, a few basic facts have already been established:While the gonadal hormones are necessary for a young person's physical maturation, they are not essential for the continued sexual activity of adults. In other words, males and females need the gonadal hormones during adolescence to develop their full sexual potential.

Adulthood
Once the full sexual potential has been attained in adult men and women, they can – up to a point - function sexually without these hormones. This has long been recognized in the case of women whose gonads (the ovaries) cease functioning after menopause without diminishing their sexual responsiveness. Many people are less willing to concede that the same is also true for men who might be deprived of their gonadal hormones (by castration, for example). A castration will, in most cases and over time, greatly diminish a man’s sexual capacity and motivation. However, there are exceptions. In adult humans, sexual activity can be quite varied and need not be directly dependent on hormone levels, but is also influenced by social factors.