Which hormone stimulates follicle development in ovaries?

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Follicle-stimulating hormone drives follicle development in the ovaries. It is released by the anterior pituitary and acts on the granulosa cells of growing follicles, promoting their growth during the early to mid-follicular phase. As FSH stimulates these cells, aromatase activity increases, converting androgens to estrogens and helping follicles mature while estrogen levels rise. Luteinizing hormone, by contrast, is mainly responsible for triggering ovulation and corpus luteum formation. Estrogen is produced as a result of FSH action rather than initiating follicle growth, and progesterone becomes important after ovulation to prepare the uterine lining. So the hormone that stimulates follicle development is follicle-stimulating hormone.