The correct diagnosis is sometimes completely dependent on the examination. Moreover, a multilateral thorough study is necessary, because the correctly established cause of certain violations is the key to successful treatment. Therefore, doctors so often refer their patients for laboratory tests, since only they can show a comprehensive picture of the internal state of human health. In addition to the well-known general urine and blood tests, there are countless other studies. Among them, for example, FSH analysis.
Study designation
Follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, is included in the group of substances that ensure the normal functioning of the sex glands and enable reproduction in both male and female. Along with luteinizing hormone, or LH, and prolactin, FSH helps the sexual characteristics to form, and also contributes to the regular change of the menstrual cycle, the onset of ovulation and sperm maturation. All this ultimately allows the eggs to be fertilized. What is FSH hormone in the blood of women and its norms, many are interested.
Where are hormones produced?
LH and FSH hormones are produced by the anterior pituitary gland and belong to the gonadotropic group. If the level of hormones in the blood exceeds the norm, the body stops their synthesis, and, conversely, with a deficiency, their production increases.
Analysis of FGS is carried out as part of the diagnosis of the following conditions:
- Infertility in people of both sexes.
- Malfunctions in the functioning of the pituitary gland.
- Complications of menstrual irregularities.
- Violations of the ovaries or testicles.
- Underdevelopment of sperm.
- Puberty with a significant delay or its early implementation in children.
What else determines the analysis?
Among other things, the analysis of FSH (what is it in women, we explained) makes it possible to determine the reserve of ovulation in patients with ovarian exhaustion. Depending on the age and condition of the patients, its level may change throughout life. Pregnancy, menopause or the presence of a menstrual cycle can significantly affect the level of this hormone.
Indications
Basically, checking FSH levels is required for women. However, with suspicions of infertility, pituitary pathologies or gonadal insufficiency, this study can be prescribed to patients of both sexes. This analysis is prescribed for children if puberty is too late or, on the contrary, too early.
Signs of early premature maturation of the reproductive system in children are:
1. Breast enlargement and the onset of menstruation in girls.
2. Genital enlargement in boys.
3. Abnormal vegetation in the genital area.
Such signs are cause for concern, since they may indicate pathologies in the body of a more serious nature, for example, disorders in the functioning of the hypothalamus, pituitary, sex glands, etc.
What is FSH analysis in men?
In men, FSH provides functions that contribute to successful fertilization. The hormone is responsible for the production of sperm, as well as the development of the seminiferous tubules and testicles. The main indications for conducting a study in males are:
- Decreased libido.
- Violation of potency.
- Infertility.
- Late sexual development in adolescence.
Infertility
The main reason for the analysis of FSH for women is infertility, the cause of which will help to identify the analysis. Deficiency or excess hormone in the blood of a woman can be the reason for the inability to get pregnant and bear a child. In this case, you need corrective therapy, which normalizes the level of the hormone and allows the woman to conceive and give birth to a child.
Menstrual bleeding of scarce volume and also rare, as well as their complete absence are also the reason for passing such an analysis. This is necessary even during menopause. This also includes the appearance of bleeding between cycles.
For girls in adolescence, an analysis is prescribed in cases where they have premature physical and sexual development, or vice versa, a delay in such. The study will help determine the cause of such disorders and prescribe adequate therapy.
Analysis preparation
Preparation for blood donation at the level of follicle-stimulating hormone FSH is no different from any other analysis. Before blood sampling, stress and intense physical activity should be excluded, smoking and alcoholic beverages should be abandoned. Blood is taken strictly on an empty stomach, so breakfast is better to postpone for a while after the procedure. Before blood sampling, it is necessary to inform the laboratory assistant about the drugs taken.
The procedure for taking material for analysis is simple. It involves blood sampling in three tubes for half an hour. The level of FSH in women tends to fluctuate depending on the period from the beginning of the menstrual cycle, so the test is prescribed for certain days. In the standard version, blood is donated a week after the start of a new cycle during the follicular phase. For men, these restrictions do not apply, since the synthesis of hormones occurs in their body continuously.
After blood sampling, a study of the obtained material is carried out. Thus, it is possible to assess the degree of hormonal disorder in the patient's body.
If the FSH level exceeds the normal value, then we are talking about the primary disease of the gonads. A reduced level indicates a secondary pathology, the cause of which, most likely, was a malfunction in the hypothalamus or pituitary gland.
If infertility is suspected, in addition to the FSH analysis, blood is also donated for LH. Such an analysis helps to determine the reason why it is impossible to conceive a child, evaluate the work of the pituitary gland and the reproductive function of the patient, or identify the prerequisite for impaired puberty in children or adolescents.
Norm
It was already mentioned above that the level of FSH in women is unstable and varies depending on the phase from the beginning of the cycle:
- In the follicular period - 1.3-9.9 ppm / ml.
- In the ovulatory period - 6.16-17.2 IU / ml.
- In the luteal period - 1.1 - 9.2 honey / ml.
In men
The male norm for FSH levels depends on age:
- Children up to a year - 3.5 honey / ml.
- Up to five years - 1.45 mU / ml or more.
- Up to ten years - 3.03 mU / ml or more.
- Adolescents from 11 to 14 years old - 0.35-6.3 honey / ml.
- Up to 20 years - 0.5 - 9.98 honey / ml.
- In adulthood, a value of 0.95-12 mU / ml is considered the norm. We consider the decoding of the analysis on FSH and normal values.
Deviations from the norm
The results of a blood test on the level of FSH can identify the primary or secondary disease. And if in the first case ovarian failure is associated with their underdevelopment, then in the second there is a violation in the work of the pituitary or hypothalamus.
In primary insufficiency, the levels of LH and FSH exceed the norm and indicate the following:
- A violation in the development of the ovaries, including a malfunction in the synthesis of steroid hormones, chromosomal abnormalities, such as Shereshevsky-Turner and Kallman syndromes.
- Premature extinction of ovarian function due to radiation, chemotherapy and autoimmune diseases.
- Anovulation. Represents a complete absence of ovulation. The cause may be endocrine pathologies, oncological formations in the ovaries, polycystic disease and adrenal disease.
An increased level of the hormone in men indicates a testicular insufficiency of a primary nature, which may be caused by:
- The consequence of negative effects, such as viruses, infections, chemotherapy, injuries, autoimmune diseases, mumps, radiation, etc.
- Malformations, for example, chromosomal abnormalities, such as Klinefelter syndrome. Analyzes for FSH and LH are now being carried out more and more often.
In children
With an increase in FSH levels in a child, we can talk about early puberty. An abnormally high level of LH and FSH may indicate the development of secondary sexual characteristics. In boys, this pathology is less common than in girls.
Premature puberty may indicate the presence of the following pathologies:
- Tumor in the testicles.
- Cysts or neoplasms in the ovaries.
- Hormone-secreting tumors.
- Disturbance in the functioning of the central nervous system.
Slow puberty is also the reason for the appointment of analysis for FSH as part of a comprehensive examination. The reasons for the delay in puberty can be the following pathologies:
- Oncological diseases.
- Ovarian or testicular insufficiency.
- Infectious diseases of a chronic nature.
- Klinefetel syndrome in boys and Shereshevsky-Turner in girls, which are the result of chromosomal abnormalities.
- Abnormally low body weight up to anorexia.
- Hormone deficiency.
Taking a certain group of medications can affect the level of FSH in the direction of increase or decrease. The hormone level increases after taking drugs based on cimetidine, clomiphene, levodopa and digitalis. Decreased levels can cause oral contraceptives and phenothiazinam. Elevated hormone levels are also common in smokers.
Thus, a blood test for FSH allows you to determine the presence of many pathologies in the reproductive system of both women and men. It is definitely not worthwhile to delay the delivery of an analysis if you suspect an existing pathology.