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人生不同时期激素的产生
青春期前
青春期前，雄激素和雌激素水平在男女几乎相等。
青春期
在青春期，激素平衡开始发生转换。在男孩，雄激素水平比雌激素的略微上升；在女孩，雌激素水平上升远高与雄激素的水平。青春期的男孩雄激素的增加协作产生次级性征。有关激素在人体内的作用仍需要做出探究。不过，一些基本的事实已经明了：虽然性腺激素对年轻人的身体发育是必须的，但是对成人后续的性行为不再是必不可少的。换句话说，男女在青春期需要性腺激素来发展其全部的性潜能。
成年期
一旦成年男女获得了全部的性潜能，等于说，他们/她们没有这些激素也能发挥其性功能。有关这一点早就被人们所认识。因为，妇女在绝经期后，她们的性腺（卵巢）停止了功能，却没有减弱她们的性反应。许多人不大乐意承认在男性中也是如此，他们可以在剥夺性腺激素（例如，阉割）的情况下仍有性功能。在多数案例和随着时间的过去，阉割将减弱男子的性能力和性动机。但是，有例外发生。成年人中，性活动种类各式各样，而且不是直接依赖性腺激素水平的高低，而是同样受到社会因素的影响。
The
Production of Hormones at Different Life Stages
Before puberty
Before
puberty, the androgen and estrogen levels in boys and girls
are nearly equal.
Puberty
During
adolescence, the hormones balance begins to shift. In the male
body the androgens rise to a slightly higher level than the
estrogens, and in the female body the estrogens rise to a much
higher level than the androgens. In the male the increase of
androgens during puberty helps to produce the male secondary
sexual characteristics. There is still much to be learned
about the role of hormones in the human body. Nevertheless, a
few basic facts have already been established:While the
gonadal hormones are necessary for a young person's physical
maturation, they are not essential for the continued sexual
activity of adults. In other words, males and females need the
gonadal hormones during adolescence to develop their full
sexual potential.
Adulthood
Once the
full sexual potential has been attained in adult men and
women, they can – up to a point - function sexually without
these hormones. This has long been recognized in the case of
women whose gonads (the ovaries) cease functioning after
menopause without diminishing their sexual responsiveness.
Many people are less willing to concede that the same is also
true for men who might be deprived of their gonadal hormones
(by castration, for example). A castration will, in most cases
and over time, greatly diminish a man’s sexual capacity and
motivation. However, there are exceptions. In adult humans,
sexual activity can be quite varied and need not be directly
dependent on hormone levels, but is also influenced by social
factors. | 
