Female Reproductive Endocrinology

Progesterone and estrogens, such as estradiol, are an integral part of female reproductive endocrinology in primates. In coordination with pituitary hormones (follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone), they regulate ovarian cycles and other physiological processes that are necessary for successful reproduction through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Many social and ecological factors can impact the HPG axis primarily because they activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which inhibits the production of hormones along the HPG axis. In addition to impairing reproduction in response to social and ecological stressors, the HPA axis regulates ovarian function in seasonally breeding primates. While anthropoid primates do not have an estrus period to which they confine their mating behaviors, there is evidence that variation in hormone concentrations throughout the cycle impacts female sexual behaviors. Variation in the concentration of female reproductive hormones can be measured non-invasively in urine and feces, providing a useful tool for studying reproductive health and physiology in wild primates.