The two major functions of the gonads in the adult are steroid hormone production and gametogenesis. Reproductive hormones are also pivotal in sexual differentiation, fetal development, growth and sexual maturation.

Gonadal hormones – nearly always synonymous with gonadal steroids – are hormones produced by the gonads, and include both steroid and peptide hormones. The major steroid hormones include estradiol and progesterone from the ovaries, and testosterone from the testes.

The gonads, the primary reproductive organs, are the testes in the male and the ovaries in the female. These organs are responsible for producing the sperm and ova, but they also secrete hormones and are considered to be endocrine glands.

The testicles are the male gonads — the primary male reproductive organs. They have two, very important functions that are very important to the male reproductive system: they produce gametes, or sperm, and they secrete hormones, primarily testosterone.

Both men and women have gonads. In males, they are the testes, or testicles, the male sex glands that are part of the male reproductive system. They are located behind the penis in a pouch of skin called the scrotum. The female gonads, the ovaries, are a pair of reproductive glands.

Why do balls tighten and loosen? The scrotum tightens when it’s cold – moving the testicles closer to the body to keep them warm. And it loosens when it’s hot – moving them away from the body to cool them down. Your testicles also change shape and move closer to the body because of sexual arousal.

Gonad, in zoology, primary reproductive gland that produces reproductive cells (gametes). In males the gonads are called testes; the gonads in females are called ovaries.

Testicles (testes) The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for producing sperm. Within the testes are coiled masses of tubes called seminiferous tubules. These tubules are responsible for producing the sperm cells through a process called spermatogenesis.