Could female hormones be responsible for aggression?

Nonhuman animal research found that aggression may not stem from the testes and therefore the role of testosterone has come into question.

The relationship between aggression and testosterone has been a clear mainstream message for some time, with the leading conclusion being that increased testosterone levels cause aggressive tendencies, and since males have more testosterone than females, this behaviour is affiliated with men.

However, the link may not be as simple as what we once thought. Recent research has indicated that it is estrogens (female dominant hormone) that cause aggression. For example, aromatose is an enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen, and the amount of aromatose in the brain determines how much testosterone is converted to estrogen. It is estrogen that then stimulates aggression.

Research conducted on fish, birds, and rodents found that aggression can occur in both sexes and in all seasons. For example, it was found that aggression in terms of defending territory does occur in both females and males and is not just a masculine trait. Furthermore, aggression was found to be highest during nonbreeding seasons as opposed to breeding seasons. The reason for this is that adrenal gland hormones convert estrogens in the brain. Estrogens can increase aggression by acting on cells in the hypothalamus which is known to regulate other functions such as our drives, hunger, and sexual behaviours. In summary, estrogens affect aggression more directly than testosterone, and therefore the assumption that aggression is related to the gonads alone is a gross simplification.

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