Endogeny, in biology, refers to the property of originating or developing from within an

organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...

, tissue, or cell. For example, ''endogenous substances'', and ''endogenous processes'' are those that originate within a living system (e.g. an

or a cell). For instance,

estradiol Estradiol (E2), also called oestrogen, oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone. It is involved in the regulation of female reproductive cycles such as estrous and menstrual cycles. Estradiol is responsible ...

is an endogenous

estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...

hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physio ...

produced within the body, whereas

ethinylestradiol Ethinylestradiol (EE) is an estrogen medication which is used widely in birth control pills in combination with progestins. Ethinylestradiol was widely used for various indications such as the treatment of menopausal symptoms, gynecological ...

is an exogenous synthetic estrogen, commonly used in birth control pills. In contrast, '' exogenous substances'' and ''exogenous'' ''processes'' are those that originate from outside of an organism.

References

External links

*{{Wiktionary-inline, endogeny Biology