Antigonadotropin in the context of "Hypersexuality"

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⭐ Core Definition: Antigonadotropin

An antigonadotropin is a drug which suppresses the activity and/or downstream effects of one or both of the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). This results in an inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, and thus a decrease in the levels of the androgen, estrogen, and progestogen sex steroids in the body. Antigonadotropins also inhibit ovulation in women and spermatogenesis in men. They are used for a variety of purposes, including for the hormonal birth control, treatment of hormonally-sensitive cancers, to delay precocious puberty and puberty in transgender youth, as a form of chemical castration to reduce the sex drives of individuals with hypersexuality or pedophilia, and to treat estrogen-associated conditions in women such as menorrhagia and endometriosis, among others. High-dose antigonadotropin therapy has been referred to as medical castration.

The best-known and widely used antigonadotropins are the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues (both agonists and antagonists). However, many other drugs have antigonadotropic properties as well, including compounds acting on sex steroid hormone receptors such as progestogens, androgens, and estrogens (due to negative feedback on the HPG axis), as well as steroid synthesis inhibitors such as danazol and gestrinone. Since progestins have relatively little effect on sexual differentiation compared to the other sex steroids, potent ones such as cyproterone acetate, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and chlormadinone acetate are often used at high doses specifically for their antigonadotropic effects.

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In this Dossier

Antigonadotropin in the context of Antiprogestogen

Antiprogestogens or antiprogestins, also known as progesterone antagonists or progesterone blockers, are a class of drugs which prevent progestogens like progesterone from mediating their biological effects in the body. These drugs competitively inhibit progestin at progesterone receptors, acting by blocking the progesterone receptor (PR) and/or inhibiting or suppressing progestogen production. Antiprogestogens are one of three types of sex hormone antagonists, alongside antiestrogens and antiandrogens.

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Antigonadotropin in the context of Steroidogenesis inhibitor

A steroidogenesis inhibitor, also known as a steroid biosynthesis inhibitor, is a type of drug which inhibits one or more of the enzymes that are involved in the process of steroidogenesis, the biosynthesis of endogenous steroids and steroid hormones. They may inhibit the production of cholesterol and other sterols, sex steroids such as androgens, estrogens, and progestogens, corticosteroids such as glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, and neurosteroids. They are used in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions that depend on endogenous steroids.

Steroidogenesis inhibitors are analogous in effect and use to antigonadotropins (which specifically inhibit gonadal sex steroid production), but work via a different mechanism of action; whereas antigonadotropins suppress gonadal production of sex steroids by effecting negative feedback on and thereby suppressing the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, steroidogenesis inhibitors directly inhibit the enzymatic biosynthesis of steroids.

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Antigonadotropin in the context of Antiestrogen

Antiestrogens, also known as estrogen antagonists or estrogen blockers, are a class of drugs which prevent estrogens like estradiol from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or inhibiting or suppressing estrogen production. Antiestrogens are one of three types of sex hormone antagonists, the others being antiandrogens and antiprogestogens. Antiestrogens are commonly used to stop estrogens from binding to the estrogen receptors, leading to a decrease of the effects of estrogens. Decreased levels of estrogen can lead to complications in sexual development.

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Antigonadotropin in the context of Antiandrogen

Antiandrogens, also known as androgen antagonists or testosterone blockers, are a class of drugs that prevent androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the androgen receptor (AR) and/or inhibiting or suppressing androgen production. They can be thought of as the functional opposites of AR agonists, for instance androgens and anabolic steroids (AAS) like testosterone, DHT, and nandrolone and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) like enobosarm. Antiandrogens are one of three types of sex hormone antagonists, the others being antiestrogens and antiprogestogens.

Antiandrogens are used to treat an assortment of androgen-dependent conditions. In men, antiandrogens are used in the treatment of prostate cancer, enlarged prostate, scalp hair loss, overly high sex drive, unusual and problematic sexual urges, and early puberty. In women, antiandrogens are used to treat acne, seborrhea, excessive hair growth, scalp hair loss, and high androgen levels, such as those that occur in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Antiandrogens are also used as a component of feminizing hormone therapy for transgender women and as puberty blockers in transgender girls.

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