Behavioral Effects on Humans of Progesterone-Related Compounds During Development and in the Adult

Abstract

Gonadal steroids play an influential role in human development by affecting the expression of behavior and emotions. There are two important periods of hormonal action. The first occurs prenatally. The relative presence or absence of androgenizing hormones, starting at approximately 8 weeks postconception, masculinizes or feminizes the central nervous system, which predisposes the organism — whether genetically male or female — to exhibit higher frequencies of masculine or feminine behavior, respectively (Reinisch 1974, 1983). The second important era of hormonal impact occurs at puberty when the gonads, which have been quiescent during childhood, begin to produce the sex hormones which physically transform the child into a sexually mature individual. The hormonal milieu present prenatally and at puberty influences not only the individual’s response to the environment but also the response of the social environment to the individual (Reinisch and Gandelman 1978; Reinisch and Sanders to be published). Following sexual differentiation, an individual’s current hormonal status is likely to affect responsiveness to various stimuli, thus influencing behavior and demeanor.