What is follicle stimulating hormone tested for?

Follicle stimulating hormone is a hormone in the human body. There are many hormones in the human body. Different hormones have different effects on the human body. If there is a problem with these hormones, the impact on us and the symptoms that occur are also different. Follicle stimulating hormone can check certain components in our body, but many people don’t know its specific examination. So what does follicle stimulating hormone check?

Follicle-stimulating hormone is a hormone secreted by the alkaliphilic cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It is composed of glycoprotein and its main function is to promote the maturation of follicles. Follicle-stimulating hormone can promote the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells in the follicle and promote the growth of the entire ovary. Its action on the seminiferous tubules of the testicles can promote sperm formation. Follicle-stimulating hormone is secreted in the human body in a pulsatile manner, and in women it changes with the menstrual cycle. The determination of serum follicle-stimulating hormone is of great significance for understanding the endocrine function of the pituitary, indirectly understanding the functional status of the hypothalamus and ovaries, predicting ovulation time, and diagnosing and treating infertility and endocrine diseases.

Decreased follicle-stimulating hormone is seen in estrogen and progesterone treatment, secondary sexual dysfunction, hypopituitarism, Sheehan syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and advanced adenohypophysitis.

Elevated follicle-stimulating hormone is seen in testicular seminoma, Klinefelter's syndrome, Turner syndrome, primary amenorrhea, congenital ovarian dysgenesis, after treatment with adrenocortical hormones, primary reproductive insufficiency, ovarian obesity, early hyperpituitarism, giant cell degenerative lung cancer, etc.

Taking birth control pills, estrogen, or during pregnancy may affect the determination of serum follicle-stimulating hormone, so care should be taken during testing. And because the physiological changes of follicle-stimulating hormone in serum are large, when judging and interpreting a certain pathological phenomenon, the measurement should be repeated many times to avoid misjudgment.

Abnormal follicle-stimulating hormone is an important factor affecting women's normal egg discharge, and women's inability to discharge healthy eggs is the most basic cause of female infertility. Therefore, it is necessary for women with infertility symptoms to undergo follicle-stimulating hormone testing. However, the examination items vary from person to person. Not all infertile women are suitable for the same set of examination plans. This requires the guidance of a doctor.

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