The Endocrine System is a network of glands in the body that make hormones that tell the cells what to do. The glads are responsible for almost every cell, organ and function in your body. In other words, the glands are the boss of your cells.
The functions of your Endocrine System:
1. Make hormones that control your mood, growth and development, metabolism, organs and reproduction.
2. Controls how your hormones are released.
3. Sends those hormones into the bloodstream to talk to other parts of the body.
There are 9 glads that make up the Endocrine System:
Hypothalamus (located in the brain) is an organ that's main function is to connect the Endocrine System to the Nervous System and tells your Pituitary gland when to start and stop making hormones.
Parathyroid (located in your neck) are four small glads behind your Thyroid. They control bone health and monitor the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body.
Thymus (located between the lungs) is a glad and it's job is to make white blood cells called T-lymphocytes that fight infection and are crucial to a child's developing immune system.
Adrenals (located above the Kidneys) are also known as the "flight or fight" hormone, Adrenaline. These two glads also make corticosteroids which affect your metabolism and sexual function.
Pancreas is an organ (located behind your stomach) that connects the digestive and Endocrine Systems. The Pancreas makes digestive enzymes that break food down, makes insulin, glucagon, and ensures you have enough sugar in your blood stream and in the cells.
Pituitary is a glad (located in the brain) that is the master of glands in the body and that's a size of a pea. It's job is to get information from the brain to tell other glads in your body what to do.
It makes important hormones to help the body grow, in women, it creates prolactin for moms who are breastfeeding. It also makes luteinizing hormone which manages the estrogen in women and testosterone in men.
For women, the Endocrine System manages the Ovaries that are organs responsible for making estrogen and progesterone. It helps develop breasts at puberty, regulate a woman's menstrual cycle and support pregnancy.
For men, the Endocrine System manages the Testes. These organs make testosterone, helps a male produce facial and body hair at puberty, drives sexual stimulation and helps create sperm.
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