Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) blood test (2024)

FAQs

What does an FSH test tell you? ›

In women, FSH helps manage the menstrual cycle and stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs. The test is used to help diagnose or evaluate: Menopause. Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome, ovarian cysts.

Normal results are: 1.4 to 9.9 mIU/mL (follicular phase) 6.2 to 17.2 mIU/mL (ovulatory peak) 1.1 to 9.2 mIU/mL (luteal phase)

FSH is sometimes used as a measure of whether a woman is peri or postmenopausal. An FSH level of > 30 IU/L is consistent with the perimenopause, although FSH levels of 70-90 IU/L are not uncommon for postmenopausal women.

An elevated FSH indicates diminished ovarian reserve. Diminished ovarian reserve is associated with a reduced number of follicles or eggs, often of questionable quality. Statistically, the chances of a successful pregnancy for women with demonstrated and consistently high FSH levels are not good.

On the third day of the menstrual cycle, a blood test is commonly done to measure FSH levels. A level below 10 IU/L is generally considered normal, indicating good ovarian reserve and a higher likelihood of responding well to fertility treatments if needed.

Symptoms of high levels

Elevated levels of FSH rarely cause specific symptoms. In females, elevated levels may be a sign of menopause, which can cause symptoms including: hot flashes. weight gain.

How accurate is this test? These tests will accurately detect FSH about 9 out of 10 times. This test does not detect menopause or perimenopause. As you grow older, your FSH levels may rise and fall during your menstrual cycle.

If you have a persistent change of seven days or more in the length of your menstrual cycle, you may be in early perimenopause. If you have a space of 60 days or more between periods, you're likely in late perimenopause. Hot flashes and sleep problems. Hot flashes are common during perimenopause.

FSH increases correlated with decreases in weight (r=–0.165, P<. 01) and estradiol (r=–0.464, P<. 0001), with adjustments for age, race/ethnicity and cohort. The association between changes in FSH and changes in weight remained significant even after adjustment for estradiol levels.

The FSH level is actually fairly easy to lower medically (with estrogen, the birth control pill, Lupron, etc.), but the underlying problem (diminished ovarian reserve) that causes the elevated FSH cannot necessarily be “fixed.”

Can stress cause high FSH levels? ›

Continuous evaluation by cycle phase indicated that recent daily stress was associated with lower total and free E2 and LH during the follicular phase and with lower progesterone and higher FSH during the luteal phase.

TSH is known to stimulate the release of thyroid hormone, induce iodine uptake by the thyroid gland, promote thyroid growth and protect thyroid cells from apoptosis [5]. FSH stimulates the maturation of ovarian follicles and facilitates spermatogenesis [3].

It signals the ovaries that it is time to make an egg each month. As the eggs decrease in quality, they are more resistant to FSH and it takes more and more FSH to keep the cycle progressing. Therefore, the higher the FSH value, the lower the quality of the eggs.

A positive test indicates that you may be in a stage of menopause. If you have a positive test, or if you have any symptoms of menopause, you should see your doctor. Do not stop taking contraceptives based on the results of these tests because they are not foolproof and you could become pregnant.

No, but in a woman, the sample should be taken in the first 4 days of her cycle if the periods are regular (day 1 is the first day of full bleeding). If the test is for the menopause, for example, and periods are stopping then the FSH can be taken at any time but occasionally repeat samples may be needed.