Abstract: Androgen is the most abundant and important steroid hormone in male. Androgen is also very important for female reproductive function. In female，androgen originally comes from ovary and adrenal gland. The bioactive androgen includes testosterone and dihydrotestosterone，while adrenal androgen is transformed into testosterone. Besides the testosterone converted to estradiol through aromatase，testosterone and dihydrotestosterone regul ate the expressions of target genes via binding to androgen receptor（AR）. AR is located in ovary，brain，muscle，bone，skin，kidney and liver. Androgen plays important roles in follicular development and maturation. Hyperandrogenism is commonly seen in polycystic ovary syndrome. In this review，we discussed the target organs in female and the effects of androgen in ovarian tissue and peripheral non-reproductive organs，as well as those female reproductive events such as breast cancer.

Key words: Androgens, Genital diseases, female, Ovary, Ovarian follicle, Breast neoplasms