Breast development extension adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)), and thyroid hormones such as thyroxine (and by extension thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)) also play permissive but less well-understood/poorly-characterized roles in breast development during both puberty and pregnancy, and are required for full functional development. Leptin has also been found to be an important factor in mammary gland development, and has been found to promote mammary epithelial cell proliferation. In contrast to the female-associated sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, the male-associated sex hormones, the androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), powerfully suppress the action of estrogen in the breasts. At least one
Fraternal birth order and male sexual orientation support a prenatal origin to sexual orientation development in men and indicate that the fraternal birth order effect is probably the result of the mother's body's “memory” for both male births as well as male gestations (i.e., every instance of being pregnant with a male fetus). So even if a male fetus was not carried to term, he still increases the likelihood of homosexuality in any subsequent male fetuses gestated by the same mother. The existence of the fraternal birth order effect on male sexual orientation has been confirmed many times. One approach for establishing the ubiquity of this effect