FSH norm - what does it mean?
FSH or follitropin is producedpituitary gland hormone, which 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 (oocyte) sex cells.
The structure of the male and female reproductive systems, andalso the processes occurring in them differ significantly, FSH norm in them, respectively, also different. The amount of follitropin in the human body is affected not only by sex, but also by age, the presence of diseases, nutrition, bad habits.
The functions of FSH in men include an increasetestosterone levels in the blood and maintaining the libido at the proper level. In the woman's body, the level of FSH influences the formation of the follicle and the onset of ovulation. In a different period of time, the level of follicotropin in the human body may fluctuate. However, a significant increase or decrease in FSH levels most often indicates a deviation in the work of the body.
To determine the level of the hormone in the blood,hand it over for analysis. A man gives blood to the FSH level, as a rule, on any day of the month. Before going to the medical institution is not recommended to smoke, be physically stressed and drink alcohol. The blood test is given three times within half an hour. Its fence is made from the vein. FSH in men is 1.37-13.58 mU / l.
The level of a hormone in the blood of a womanaffects her menstrual cycle. The 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. The level of the hormone in women is significantly influenced by the intake of birth control pills and age (menopause). The specialist must take these factors into account when establishing a diagnosis. FSH norm in women of childbearing age is 2.8-11.3 mU / l. When oral contraceptives are taken, it significantly decreases to 4.9 mU / L or less, during the postmenopause period, on the contrary, it rises sharply to 153 mU / L.
Indications for the analysis of this hormone: miscarriage, suspected infertility, the opening of uterine bleeding, endometriosis, inflammation of the internal organs of the reproductive system, polycystic ovaries, delay in puberty.
Lowering the level of follitropin in the patient's blood can indicate the presence of such diseases as:
- hypophyseal nanism or dwarfism - delay in the child's physical development and growth;
- Symmonds disease - a deviation in the pituitary gland, accompanied by a violation of certain body functions;
- secondary amenorrhea - prolonged absence of menstruation in women.
Often the cause of lowering FSH levels in women can be compliance with diet, starvation, obesity, taking certain medications, severe childbirth or abortion, accompanied by extensive blood loss.
In those cases when FSH is elevated, a specialist can put one of the following diagnoses:
- kidney failure - a violation of the basic functions of the kidneys;
- primary hypogonadism - congenital or acquired disease associated with testicular hypofunction;
- seminoma - malignant testicular tumor;
- Ovarian cystosis is a disease associated with the appearance of benign neoplasms in the ovaries.
Often the cause of increased levels of follitropin inblood is smoking, drinking, exposure to the body of X-rays. In women during menopause, there is a sharp increase in the level of the hormone in the blood. In the postmenopausal period, FSH is between 19.3 and 100.6 IU / ml. Usually this does not indicate the presence of any pathology.
Significant impact on the work of reproductivethe human system has another pituitary hormone - lutropin (LH) produced by the pituitary gland. In the male, lutropin acts on the production of testosterone, in the body of a woman - on the production of estrogen.
Many patients who have turned to a medicalan institution for establishing the level of FSH in the blood, it is proposed to pass an analysis on the ratio of LH and FSH. The establishment of a ratio of the level of both hormones in the blood is mandatory in the detection of many diseases of the reproductive system, as well as in case of suspected infertility.
