What are gonads?

What are gonads?

• A. Sex glands
• B. Digestive glands
• C. Endocrine glands in the brain
• D. Sweat glands

Answer: (A)

Gonads are the body's primary sex glands. They produce the gametes needed for reproduction—eggs in the ovaries and sperm in the testes—and they release sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone that guide sexual development and reproductive function. They’re not digestive glands, which handle digestion, nor sweat glands, which regulate perspiration, nor the brain’s endocrine glands that control other hormones. In short, gonads are the organs dedicated to making sex cells and the hormones that influence sexual characteristics and reproduction.

Gonads are the body's primary sex glands. They produce the gametes needed for reproduction—eggs in the ovaries and sperm in the testes—and they release sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone that guide sexual development and reproductive function. They’re not digestive glands, which handle digestion, nor sweat glands, which regulate perspiration, nor the brain’s endocrine glands that control other hormones. In short, gonads are the organs dedicated to making sex cells and the hormones that influence sexual characteristics and reproduction.