We throw around the word “hormonal” a lot, especially if someone is acting out of the ordinary. Do you know why? It’s because hormones control most of our body’s major systems. If you don’t know what hormones do for you, it’s a good time to find out! We put together this short video quiz to test your knowledge of hormones.

Let’s start out with an easy question.

1. Hormones are created from glands. So, which bodily system makes our hormones?

Is it a) digestive system b) endocrine system c) lymphatic system or d) cardiovascular system?

We don’t get our own hormones from anything we eat, so that eliminates A, because the digestive system processes nutrients we get through our mouth. The lymphatic system defends against infections. While hormones do use the cardiovascular system to make their way around our bodies, they actually originate from the endocrine system. If you said B, you were right!

2. How many different major glands are there that make up our endocrine system?

Do you think it’s a) 6 b) 7 c) 8 or d) 9?

Going down the body the major glands are the pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenal glands and in men testes and in women ovaries. So, we understand if you guessed 9, but in any one person it’s normally 8. So, the correct answer is C.

3. Which of the glands listed above is the “master” gland that tells all the other glands what to produce and how much?

Is it a) pituitary b) pineal gland c) thyroid or d) adrenal glands?

Admittedly, this is a slightly harder question, especially if you didn’t know that one gland “controlled” the others. The pineal gland regulates our sleep habits by making melatonin. The thyroid is in charge of regulating our metabolism. The adrenals are in charge of our “fight or flight” reaction. That leaves the correct answer as A the pituitary, which translates information from our brains to each of the other glands, effectively telling them what to do.

This next question comes from our blog post What Happens When Your Hormones Are Out Of Balance. It’s practically a gimme.

4. Which of the following is NOT listed as a symptom of your hormones being out of balance according to our post?

Do you know if it’s a) Sleep Disorders b) Memory Issues c) Weight Gain or d) Osteoporosis?

The well read among you know that the correct answer is D Osteoporosis. While having porous bones can be caused by a slew of hormonal disorders, that’s only one of many diseases which leads to having brittle bones.

5. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that controls our “fight or flight” response. Which of these does NOT happen as a result of cortisol in a stressful situation?

Is it a) increases your heart rate b) raises our glucose level c) suppresses the digestive system or d) increases the availability of substances to help repair tissues?

This is a tricky question because all of those things do happen during a stress response. But A is actually as a result of adrenaline, not cortisol. So, if you chose A, you are right.

This next question comes from our post on hormone abuse.

In a 2013 study by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, what percentage of boys admitted to using synthetic HGH at least once?

Is it a) 10% b)11% c) 12% or d) 13%

This year, HGH jumped by 5% from previous years. 12% of boys tried it and 9% of girls tried it. These were not just athletes, trying to improve performance. They were also kids looking for a quick fix for their perception of unattractive bodies. Besides the potential long term problems, anything that hinders the natural development of teen bodies is not good!

Last question.

In Walk-in Lab’s Hormone #2 Essential Blood Test Panel, which of these test results will you NOT get?

Do you know if it’s a) insulin b) thyroid stimulating hormone c) DHEA or d) cortisol?

The correct answer is D cortisol, however there’s good news! If you get the Hormone #3 Extreme Blood Test Panel, you will get results on cortisol among many others!

So, that’s it! How did you do? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook & Twitter pages. Until next time.

Check out our hormone tests for men or our hormone tests for women.

*Sources: Mayo Clinic, WebMD, National Osteoporosis Foundation, Hormone Health Network, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids