Feeling the first flutters and kicks of your baby is a rite of passage for every pregnant woman. While the kicks sometimes act as a way to keep you up all night, they are also an effective indicator of your baby's overall health.

In competitive endurance sports such as cycling, increased levels of testosterone could offer several performance benefits. Unfortunately, the specific details of proper bike training to raise testosterone levels remains uncertain.

Testosterone, prolactin and estrogen are some of the many hormones produced in the male body. Of all of these hormones, testosterone is responsible for maintaining and expressing male features such as facial hair, body hair, sperm production and maintenance of muscles and bones.

Melasma is a skin condition that can occur as a result of hormonal imbalances. Melasma is also known as cholasma and, while there is a definite genetic component to the disease, it is generally triggered by hormonal changes.

Progesterone is a steroid hormone produced by your ovaries that affects your reproductive system, breasts and general growth and development. Progesterone is also the precursor of other hormones, including cortisol. Additionally, progesterone plays a role in pregnancy, menstrual cycles and mood behavior.

Steroids increase strength, mass and intensity levels. But steroids also cause acne, baldness, explosions of rage and high blood pressure. Most importantly, for men, steroids can causes testosterone levels to increase unnaturally, which, in turn reduces the body's ability to produce testosterone on its own.

Estrogen and progesterone play a critical role in the health of women. Levels of these sex steroids must remain in perfect balance to ensure reproductive fertility. The two hormones also affect bone health, cancer risk and emotional stability.

Testosterone is the hormone often considered the "male" hormone, produced in the male testes, the female ovaries and the adrenal cortex of both genders responsible in part for the body's musculature and libido. Diet can influence a body's production of testosterone, as can use of certain herbs. Estrogen, the primary "

Children with elevated testosterone levels may be afflicted with a deadly disease. There are many reasons that a child might have high testosterone levels, and finding the reason for the hormone rise is the first step to treatment.

Both women and men can suffer from elevated cholesterol levels that significantly impact cardiovascular disease, strokes and heart attacks. However, women have a protective mechanism in their bodies from the hormone estrogen that remains in effect through their childbearing years.

Produced primarily by the testicles, testosterone is the hormone responsible for developing male sexual traits and maintaining muscle mass, bone density and red blood cell levels.

During pregnancy, circulating levels of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone rise to prepare your body for lactation. After you give birth, however, levels of these hormones drop as your body increases production of prolactin.