What is the Queen of Hormones?
There isn't one single "queen of hormones" universally agreed upon. The title depends on context and the specific function being emphasized. However, several sources suggest progesterone as a strong contender for this title, particularly in relation to female reproductive health.
One article explicitly refers to progesterone as "the Queen of Hormones." [1] This highlights its crucial role in female reproductive processes, including:
- Maintaining Pregnancy: Progesterone is essential for establishing and maintaining a pregnancy. Low levels can lead to miscarriage. [7, 8]
- Menstrual Cycle Regulation: It plays a significant role in regulating the menstrual cycle. [7]
- Ovulation: Though not directly causing ovulation, progesterone levels rise after ovulation and contribute to the luteal phase. [8]
Other Hormonal Influences
While progesterone holds a prominent position, other hormones play significant roles depending on the system or organism under consideration:
- Queen Pheromones in Social Insects: In honeybees and other social insects, queen pheromones exert powerful influences on colony behavior, suppressing worker reproduction and maintaining social order. [2, 3, 6] These pheromones are a complex mixture of chemicals, not a single hormone.
- Vitellogenin in Queen Bees: This yolk protein contributes to longevity in queen bees. [4]
- Estrogen and Luteinizing Hormone: In cats (queens), these hormones are principal players in pregnancy. [5]
Therefore, the title "queen of hormones" is context-dependent. While progesterone's dominance in female reproductive health makes a strong case for it, the term "queen pheromone" highlights the importance of complex hormonal signaling in social insect colonies.
[1] Progesterone: the Queen of Hormones. 29-May-2023
[2] Queen Pheromones - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/queen-pheromones
[3] Chemical Communication in the Honey Bee Society - Neurobiology ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK200983/
[4] Vitellogenin, juvenile hormone, insulin signaling, and queen honey ... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17438290/
[5] Clinical management of pregnancy in cats - PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7103129/
[6] Hormonal pleiotropy helps maintain queen signal honesty in a ... https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=336235
[7] Normal feline reproduction: The queen - Aime K Johnson, 2022. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X221079706
[8] The Feline Estrous Cycle and Investigating Infertility in the Queen ... https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=11165&meta=generic&catId=29801&id=3848665
