Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 androgens, 
male sex hormones, at puberty. (See 
Figure 1 for the basic anatomy of the male and female
 genitals, 
or sex organs.) Not 
only do androgens produce secondary sex characteristics, such as the growth of 
body hair and a deepening of the voice, they also increase the sex drive. Because 
the level of androgen production by the testes is fairly constant, men are capable of 
(and interested in) sexual activities without any regard to biological cycles. Given 
the proper stimuli leading to arousal, male sexual behavior can occur at any time 
(Goldstein, 2000).
Women show a different pattern. When they reach maturity at puberty, the 
two ovaries begin to produce
 estrogens 
and
 progesterone, 
female sex hormones. 
However, those hormones are not produced consistently; instead, their production 
follows a cyclical pattern. The greatest output occurs during
 ovulation, 
when an 
egg is released from the ovaries, making the chances of fertilization by a sperm 
cell highest. While in nonhumans the period around ovulation is the only time the 
female is receptive to sex, people are different. Although there are variations in 
reported sex drive, women are receptive to sex throughout their cycles (Leiblum 
& Chivers, 2007).
androgens
Male sex hormones 
secreted by the testes.
genitals
The male and female sex 
organs.
estrogens
Class of female sex 
hormones.
progesterone
A female sex hormone 
secreted by the ovaries.
ovulation
The point at which an egg 
is released from the ovaries.
 Key Concept 
Why, and under what 
circumstances, do we become 
sexually aroused?
M O D U L E 3 3 
Understanding Human Sexual 
Response: The Facts of Life
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