Scientific Glossary

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GnRH is released in pulses from the hypothalamus, stimulating pituitary gonadotroph cells to release LH and FSH. LH triggers testosterone production (in males: Leydig cells; in females: corpus luteum) and FSH drives sperm and follicle development. Critically, continuous (non-pulsatile) GnRH receptor stimulation causes receptor downregulation and hormone suppression — this is exploited therapeutically with GnRH agonists for prostate cancer. PT-141 (bremelanotide) acts upstream via melanocortin receptors to influence sexual arousal pathways.