Skip to content
Human Body Study

Gonads

The reproductive glands — the testes in males, the ovaries in females. They have a dual role: making sex cells and making sex hormones.

The endocrine system A stylised body with the eight endocrine glands placed at their anatomical positions: hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pancreatic islets and gonads. Each label links to the article for that gland. Hypothalamus Pituitary gland Pineal gland Thyroid gland Parathyroid glands Adrenal glands Pancreatic islets Gonads The endocrine glands at their anatomical positions — schematic, not to scale.

What they produce

Section titled “What they produce”
  • Testes — sperm, and the hormone testosterone.
  • Ovaries — eggs, and the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

What they do

Section titled “What they do”
  • Produce the cells of reproduction.
  • Drive sexual development and secondary sex characteristics, and maintain the reproductive system.

Key idea

Section titled “Key idea”

The gonads belong to both the endocrine and reproductive systems, and are governed by the HPG axis.