Production
During the reproductive years, most estradiol in women is produced by the granulosa cells of the ovaries by the aromatization of androstenedione (produced in the theca folliculi cells) to estrone, followed by conversion of estrone to estradiol by 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Smaller amounts of estradiol are also produced by the adrenal cortex, and (in men), by the testes.
Estradiol is not produced in the gonads only: In both sexes, testosterone is converted by aromatization to estradiol. In particular, fat cells are active precursors to estradiol, and will continue to be even after menopause.
Estradiol is also produced in the brain and in arterial walls, though it cannot be readily transferred from the circulatory system into the brain. However, as one of the two active metabolites of testosterone in males (the other being dihydrotestosterone), it can be produced from this hormone within the brain.
Read more about this topic: Estradiol
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—Friedrich Engels (1820–1895)
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)