Where is follicle-stimulating hormone produced in the body?

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is produced in the anterior pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. This hormone plays a crucial role in reproductive processes, especially in regulating the development of ovarian follicles in females and spermatogenesis in males.

The anterior pituitary gland releases FSH in response to signals from the hypothalamus, which secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). FSH stimulates the growth of ovarian follicles and prepares them for ovulation, thereby being central to the female reproductive cycle. In males, FSH promotes the production of sperm.

Understanding the location of FSH production is essential for recognizing how endocrine signals interplay with reproductive health and function. Other options like the ovaries, hypothalamus, and adrenal cortex are involved in the endocrine system but are not the sites of FSH production. The ovaries themselves respond to FSH but do not produce it, while the hypothalamus produces GnRH that regulates FSH release. The adrenal cortex produces hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are unrelated to FSH.