hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis

The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis (also HPG axis) refers to the effects of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and gonads as if these individual endocrine glands were a single entity as a whole. Because these glands often behave in cooperation, physiologists and endocrinologists find it convenient and descriptive to speak of them as a single system.