One of the hormones that produces the pituitary gland - luteinizing hormone (LH) - regulates the production of progesterone (female) and testosterone (male) sex hormones, because there are both men and women in the body.
What is responsible for luteinizing hormone?
Only luteinizing hormone in women throughout the cycle changes its level in the body, and in men its level remains constant. And what affects the luteinizing hormone - also depends on the sex: in women its production is triggered by a high concentration of estrogens, under the influence of LH ovulation occurs and the ovaries (yellow body) begin to produce progesterone.
Luteinizing hormone during pregnancy begins to decline due to increased secretion of estrogen, and during the menopause, the level of luteinizing hormone rises just because of the lack of estrogens, since the ovaries no longer work. Luteinizing hormone in men stimulates testicles to produce testosterone, which is responsible for spermatogenesis.
Luteinizing hormone is the norm
In women and men, the level of LH differs, but if it is constant for men, then it changes for women. In men, the level of luteinizing hormone ranges from 0.5 to 10 mU / L.
In women in the first half of the cycle, the LH level is from 2 to 14 mU / L; in the period of ovulation - from 24 to 150 mU / l; in the second phase of the cycle from 2 to 17 mU / l.
In children under 10 years, the LH level can range from 0.7 to 2.3 mU / L, from 11 to 14 years, its level begins to grow and reaches 0.3 to 25 mU / L, and from 15 to 19 years again gradually decreases and by 20 years is between 2.3 and 11 mU / L.
During menopause, luteinizing hormone ranging from 14.2 to 52.3 mU / L is high due to the lack of estrogens.
When to take luteinizing hormone?
The doctor prescribes an analysis for PH at the following indications:
- amenorrhea;
- oligomenorrhea;
- infertility ;
- frequent miscarriages;
- stunting and sexual development;
- hirsutism;
- decreased libido;
- endometriosis;
- frequent uterine bleeding;
- when preparing for IVF ;
- polycystic ovary.
Depending on the indications, the LH analysis is scheduled for 3-8 or 19-21 days of the menstrual cycle in women or any day - for men. On the eve of the analysis exclude physical activity, avoid stress, you can not smoke a few hours before you donate blood. The analysis is not carried out during acute or exacerbation of chronic diseases. If a woman's period is irregular, the blood on LH takes several days in a row from 8 to 18 days before the possible monthly.
Decreased or increased levels of luteinizing hormone
If luteinizing hormone is below normal, it happens in a number of diseases, such as pituitary Nanism, Shihan's disease, obesity, Morphan's syndrome, the central form of hypogonadism. In women, a decrease in LH is observed with secondary amenorrhea, polycystic ovary, hyperprolactinaemia, insufficiency of the luteal phase of the ovaries.
Lack of luteinizing hormone in men leads to hypogonadism, impaired spermatogenesis and male infertility. To reduce LH lead not only to diseases, but also surgical interventions, stress, severe diseases of other organs and systems, smoking, pregnancy, while taking certain medications.
The increase in the level of luteinizing hormone is physiologically observed during the period of ovulation. But the increase in LH in men or in other phases of the cycle in women is observed in pituitary tumors, heavy physical and sports loads, males from 60-65 years old, exhaustion or starvation, stress, renal failure, endometriosis and ovarian exhaustion in women.