FSH or follitropin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that regulates the activity of the sex glands. In the body of a man and a woman, FSH performs a similar basic function: it promotes the maturation of male (sperm) and female (egg) germ cells.
The structure of the male and female reproductive systems, as well as the processes occurring in them are significantly different, FSH norm in them, respectively, is also different. The amount of follitropin in the human body is influenced not only by sex, but also by age, the presence of diseases, nutrition, bad habits.
The functions of FSH in men include an increase in testosterone in the blood and maintaining the libido at the proper level. In a woman’s body, the level of FSH affects the formation of the follicle and the onset of ovulation. At various times, the level of follitropin in the human body can fluctuate. However, a significant increase or decrease in the level of FSH most often indicates a deviation in the functioning of the body.
To determine the level of the hormone in the blood, you should take it for analysis. A man donates blood to establish the level of FSH, usually on any day of the month. Before going to a medical institution, it is not recommended to smoke, undergo physical activity and drink alcohol. A blood test is given three times in half an hour. Her fence is made from a vein. FSH norm in men is 1.37-13.58 mU / L.
The level of a hormone in a woman’s blood is affected by her menstrual cycle. A blood test for the level of follitropin in a woman is taken, as a rule, on the sixth or seventh day of her menstrual cycle. Birth control pills and age (menopause) have a significant effect on hormone levels in women. The specialist should consider these factors when establishing a diagnosis. FSH norm in women of childbearing age is 2.8–11.3 mU / l. When taking oral contraceptives, it significantly decreases to the level of 4.9 mU / L or less, during postmenopause, on the contrary, it rises sharply to the level of 153 mU / L.
Indications for the analysis of this hormone: miscarriage, suspected infertility, opening uterine bleeding, endometriosis, inflammation of the internal organs of the reproductive system, polycystic ovaries, delayed puberty.
A decrease in the level of follitropin in the patient’s blood may indicate the presence of diseases such as:
- pituitary dwarfism or dwarfism - a delay in the physical development and growth of the child;
- Simmonds disease - a deviation in the pituitary gland, accompanied by a violation of certain body functions;
- secondary amenorrhea - a prolonged absence of menstruation in women.
Often the cause of a decrease in FSH levels in women can be dieting, fasting, obesity, taking certain medications, having a difficult birth or abortion, accompanied by extensive blood loss.
In cases where FSH is increased, a specialist can make one of the following diagnoses:
- renal failure - a violation of the basic functions of the kidneys;
- primary hypogonadism - a congenital or acquired disease associated with hypofunction of the testicles;
- Seminoma - a malignant tumor of the testicle;
- ovarian cystosis is a disease associated with the appearance of benign tumors in the ovary.
Often the reason for the increase in the level of follitropin in the blood is smoking, drinking, exposure to the body x-rays. In women during menopause, there is a sharp increase in the level of the hormone in the blood. During postmenopausal FSH, the norm is from 19.3 to 100.6 IU / ml. Usually this does not indicate the presence of any pathology.
Another hormone produced by the pituitary gland, lutropin (LH), has a significant effect on the functioning of the human reproductive system . In a man’s body, lutropin affects the production of testosterone, in a woman’s body - on the production of estrogen.
Many patients who applied to a medical institution to establish the level of FSH in the blood are invited to take an analysis for the ratio of LH and FSH. Establishing a correlation of the level of both hormones in the blood is mandatory in identifying many diseases of the reproductive system, as well as with suspected infertility.