This results in an inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, and thus a decrease in the levels of the androgen, estrogen, and progestogen sex steroids in the body.
They are used for a variety of purposes, including for the hormonal birth control, treatment of hormonally-sensitive cancers, to delay precocious puberty and puberty in transgender youth, as a form of chemical castration to reduce the sex drives of individuals with hypersexuality or pedophilia, and to treat estrogen-associated conditions in women such as menorrhagia and endometriosis, among others.
The best-known and widely used antigonadotropins are the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues (both agonists and antagonists).
[1] However, many other drugs have antigonadotropic properties as well, including compounds acting on sex steroid hormone receptors such as progestogens, androgens, and estrogens (due to negative feedback on the HPG axis),[2][3] as well as steroid synthesis inhibitors such as danazol and gestrinone.
[9][10] Opioids have antigonadotropic effects and can reduce luteinizing hormone and testosterone levels in men.