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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Establishment of Rat Models Mimicking Gender-affirming Hormone Therapies
Published on: January 10, 2025
[Hormonal stimulation of female sexual maturation]
1V. Danilevsky Institute of Endocrine Pathology Problems of AMS Ukraine, Kharkiv.
Abstract:
The mixture of the sexual steroids: estradiol (E2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was injected to the female rats at prepuberty. This hormonal combination has been established to accelerate the different stages of the female rats' puberty--the vaginal opening and first ovulation. The puberty was accompanied with an increase in the estrogen level in the blood and a reduce of the relation between testosterone and E2. The stimulating effect of the hormonal combination on the ovarian folliculogenesis was observed and post-ovulatory corpus luteum were found in the experimental rats. We suggest that DHT blocked overripening the ovarian follicles at estrogenizating, and E2 reduces the negative effect of DHT on the hypophysis. The steroid combination (E2 + DHT) is effective for stimulating female puberty.
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