Question

Which glands are common in male and female?

Answer 1

Endocrine gland:

1. These are the ductless glands that pass their secretions or hormones into the surrounding blood for transport to the site of action.
2. For example, the thyroid gland, adrenal gland, etc.

Exocrine gland:

1. These are the glands that possess ducts for discharging their secretions onto the surface of the body or into the body cavities.
2. The pancreas is one such example.

Some of the common glands in males and females are:

Pituitary glands:

1. It is a pea-sized gland, which is 0.5 grams in weight and 1.3 centimeters in diameter.
2. It is situated in a bony cavity known as sella turcica of the skull’s sphenoid bone.
3. It is associated with the hypothalamus by a stalk known as the infundibulum.
4. It monitors the activities of other hormones in the body, which is, known as the master gland.

Thymus gland:

1. It is a pink lobular composition situated on the dorsal side of the aorta and the heart.
2. The main activity of the thymus gland is to train the unique white blood cells known as T-cells or T-lymphocytes.

Adrenal glands:

1. They are the paired structures found on the top of the kidney, thus also known as suprarenal glands.
2. It produces adrenaline hormone, also known as a fight-or-flight hormone.

Pancreas:

1. It is located in the abdomen, which performs an essential function in transforming the food one consumes into fuel for the cells of the body.
2. It has two prime functions, the endocrine function monitors the level of sugar in the blood, and the exocrine function, which assists in the process of digestion.
3. Due to this, it is also known as the mixocrine gland.

Pineal gland:

1. This gland is situated in the center of the brain.
2. The prime function of this gland is to attain information about the state of the light-dark cycle from the surroundings.
3. This information is further conveyed to generate and secrete the hormone melatonin.