Sources of variance within and among young men in concentrations of 17β-estradiol and testosterone in axillary perspiration

The most potent estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E₂), and its precursor, testosterone (T), play critical roles in mammalian reproductive processes. Evidence indicates that these steroids are present in bioactive form in the excretions of many male mammals. It has been demonstrated that small lipophilic steroids such as E₂ can be absorbed by proximate females from male excretions, arriving in the uterus, brain, and other organs where there are estrogen …