Answer
The ovaries and the testes are the female and male gonads --respectively-- the primary reproductive organs. The ovaries produce the female gametes (ova), and the testes produce the male gametes --sperms--indispensable in the process of sexual reproduction. The gonads also secrete sex hormones , estrogen, and progesterone (ovaries) and testosterone ( testes) that have far-reaching effects on pregnancy, sex determination, embryonic development, and the development of secondary characteristics.
Work Step by Step
The ovaries and testes function both as reproductive structures, and as endocrine glands. The hormones secreted by the ovaries are estrogen, progesterone, relaxin, and inhibin. Testes secrete both testosterone and inhibin. These hormones are secreted into the blood stream and that makes the gonads endocrine organs.
Inhibin has important negative feedback effects on anterior pituitary secretion of FSH and LH , and relaxin helps prepare the mother for delivery of the fetus. The presence of testosterone is necessary for the determination of a male embryo. The absence of testosterone permits development of a female embryo.
