estrogen

es·tro·gen | \ ˈe-strə-jən

Definition of estrogen

: any of various natural steroids (such as estradiol) that are formed from androgen precursors, that are secreted chiefly by the ovaries, placenta, adipose tissue, and testes, and that stimulate the development of female secondary sex characteristics and promote the growth and maintenance of the female reproductive system also : any of various synthetic or semisynthetic steroids (such as ethinyl estradiol) that mimic the physiological effect of natural estrogens

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Examples of estrogen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Much like long bone growth, pelvis width is driven largely by estrogen levels. — Quanta Magazine, "Males Are the Taller Sex. Estrogen, Not Fights for Mates, May Be Why.," 8 June 2020 Medications that reduce the effect of estrogen can also help. — Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, "Science of ‘Seinfeld’," 5 June 2020 Clinical trials have begun for testing estrogen and progesterone in treating COVID-19, after research showed that cisgender men have been infected at higer rates and admitted into the ICU at higher rates. — refinery29.com, "How Activists Are Creating A “Queer Response” To The Coronavirus Pandemic," 27 May 2020 Other types of drugs — such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists — can shrink tumors by decreasing the hormone producing activity of your ovaries, lowering your estrogen levels. — Hilda Hutcherson, New York Times, "Uterine Fibroids Can Wreak Reproductive Havoc. What Are They?," 17 Apr. 2020 Diagnosed with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer in January 2014 at the age of 37, Kraemer had a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, lymph-node removal, radiation and hormone treatment. — Kate Pickert, Time, "Why the Women Most Likely to Die of Breast Cancer Have Gotten the Least Attention," 1 Oct. 2019 These include antivirals for influenza, arthritis drugs, estrogen patches and even antacids. — Kaiser Health News, oregonlive, "Antivirals, anti-inflammatory drugs and prepackaged plasma: A look at the therapies being developed to combat the new coronavirus," 18 May 2020 These include antivirals for influenza, arthritis drugs, estrogen patches and even antacids. — Liz Szabo, azcentral, "Chasing the elusive dream of a COVID cure," 15 May 2020 Their hunch is that female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone could be providing women some protection against COVID-19, making them a possibly effective therapy. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Why Is COVID-19 Striking Men Harder Than Women?," 1 May 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'estrogen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near estrogen

estrogen replacement therapy

Estron

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Last Updated

19 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Estrogen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estrogen. Accessed 9 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for estrogen

estrogen

noun

English Language Learners Definition of estrogen

medical : a substance (called a hormone) that occurs naturally in women

See the full definition for estrogen in the English Language Learners Dictionary

estrogen

noun

es·tro·gen | \ ˈes-trə-jən

variants: or chiefly British oestrogen \ ˈē-strə-jən

Medical Definition of estrogen

: any of various natural steroids (as estradiol) that are formed from androgen precursors, that are secreted chiefly by the ovaries, placenta, adipose tissue, and testes, and that stimulate the development of female secondary sex characteristics and promote the growth and maintenance of the female reproductive system also : any of various synthetic or semisynthetic steroids (as ethinyl estradiol) that mimic the physiological effect of natural estrogens