FSH Test

What are the other names for this test?

Follicle-stimulating hormone serum, Follitropin, FSH levels test

What is an FSH test?

This test helps to measure the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). FSH is a hormone that has a significant role in reproduction, sexual functions, and the development of men and women. A hormone is a chemical substance your body produces to regulate and control an organ or other things. FSH develops through the pituitary gland, a small gland. It is located in the center of your head and at the base of your brain. FSH is present in both men and women. High or low levels of FSH can lead to several problems, such as:
 

• Lack of ability for sex in men
• Infertility (A condition in which women lose the ability to become pregnant).
• Difficulty in the menstrual cycle
• Early or delayed puberty (A specific time in which a boy or girl becomes an adult) in children.

What is the purpose of this test?

This test determines the abnormalities in the FSH levels. The FSH operates with a hormone called luteinizing hormone to regulate sexual functions. The FSH test often conducts with a luteinizing test. FSH has the following purpose for your body, including
 

• It controls the menstrual or reproduction cycle and encourages the growth of eggs in the ovaries of females.
• It regulates the development of sperm in men.
• In girls, it gives the message to ovaries to develop estrogen (female sex hormones).
• In boys, it gives the message to the testes to produce testosterone (male sex hormone).

The FSH helps to diagnose these conditions for men, women, and children:

For men, this test may often use to:
 

• Look for the reason for infertility (A disease in which a man cannot get a woman pregnant).
• Determine the causes for low sperm (male reproductive cell) count in the body.
• Diagnose the problems in the testicles (male reproductive glands).

For women, this test helps to analyze these conditions:
 

• Infertility -A disease in which women cannot become pregnant.
• Ovaries problem.
• Irregular menstrual or reproductive cycles.
• Menopause - A specific time in which the menstrual cycle for a woman completes after she cannot become pregnant. The ideal age for women in this condition is about 50 years.
• Perimenopause - It is the intermediate or transition period earlier than menopause. This condition stays for a long time. FSH test may conduct after this period.

For children, the FSH test helps to identify early or delayed puberty.
 

• When puberty reaches before age 9 in girls and before age 10 in boys, it is known as early puberty.
• When puberty reaches age 13 in girls and age 14 in boys, it is known as delayed puberty.

When do I need to conduct this test?

Your healthcare provider may recommend the FSH test for both males and females if they experience symptoms of the pituitary gland. These symptoms include:
 

• Losing weight
• Fatigue
• Reduced hunger
• Weakness

Women may need to order this test if you:
 

• Are unable to get pregnant during the effort of 12 months.
• Have irregular menstrual cycles.
• Have passed through menopause or are in perimenopause.

Men may need this test if you:
 

• Have difficulty to do your woman pregnant after the efforts of 12 months.
• Lose the ability to do sex.

Your provider may recommend the test to your child if puberty does not appear at the recommended age.

What is the procedure for the FSH test?

You need to follow these steps for the procedure of this test.

● Go to the laboratory you have selected online. 
● Your provider will ask you to remove part of your cloth from your arm.
● A small needle will inject into a vein in your arm.
● A test tube or a specimen will collect your blood sample.
● A bandage will apply to cover the vein where the needle will inject.
● You can go home for daily activities.


How do I need to prepare for this test?

You do not need special preparation for the test if you are men. Women can inform their provider if she has not passed through menopause. Your healthcare provider may ask a woman to book an online test at a particular time during her reproductive or menstrual cycle.

What are the risks of the FSH test?

The FSH test is a blood test that does not have high risks. When your provider injects a needle into a vein in your arm, you can feel slight pain or lightheaded. The low risks may occur at the spot of a vein where the needle injects, such as bleeding, infection, or bruising.

What do the test results mean?

The FSH test results may vary on gender, age, medical history, and other elements.

The high FSH levels in women may indicate that you have:
 

• Primary ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that may affect pregnant women. PCOS is a big reason for infertility.
• Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a disease of losing ovarian before age 40. Premature ovarian failure is another name for POI.
• An ovarian tumor
• Turner syndrome - A genetic disorder often leads to infertility and sexual development.

Low FSH levels in women may indicate:
 

• Ovaries lose the ability to produce recommended eggs.
• Problems in the pituitary gland
• Problems in the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain, help to regulate the pituitary gland and other functions of the body.
• Losing extreme weight

The high FSH levels in men may indicate that you have:
 

• Damaged testicles because of chemotherapy (cancer treatment), radiation, infection, or disease of alcohol.
• Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic disease that often causes infertility and sexual development in males.

Low FSH levels in men may show that you have problems in your pituitary gland or hypothalamus.

High FSH levels in children with high luteinizing hormones can show that puberty has begun. When puberty reaches before age 9 in a girl or before age 10 in a boy, it indicates:
 

• Disorder in the central nervous system
• Injury in the brain

Low FSH and luteinizing hormone levels may show delayed puberty. The reasons for delayed puberty are:
 

• Problems in ovaries or testicles
• Deficiency of hormone
• Specific infection
• Bad eating habits
• Turner syndrome in girls
• Klinefelter syndrome in boys

You can discuss the FSH levels with a doctor by making an online talk.

What things do I need to know about this test?
 
The FSH levels are also measured in the urine by home test. The home kit helps to determine symptoms like dry vagina and irregular periods. The test can predict high FSH levels but cannot indicate menopause or perimenopause.

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