Pregnancy tips Uterine Cells Produce Estrogen In Pregnancy

Ovaries produce estrogen right? Well yes, but according to this article, the uterus may be the newest endocrine gland. Surprisingly, the uterus has been found to produce it's own estrogen which helps to support a pregnancy. Read more:

news.illinois.edu

From the article:

CHAMPAIGN, lll. – For decades, scientists assumed that the ovary alone produced steroid hormones during pregnancy. In a new study in mice, however, researchers demonstrate that once an embryo attaches to the uterine wall, the uterus itself actually synthesizes the estrogen needed to sustain the pregnancy.

This is the first time that the uterus has been identified as an endocrine organ, said University of Illinois veterinary biosciences professor Indrani Bagchi, who led the study with doctoral student Amrita Das. Their findings appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.