FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone and FSH test is usually not carried out individually. It is carried out with other tests including progesterone test, testosterone test, LH test, and so on. The test is mainly carried out in men and women to find out fertility issues. In men, FSH test will help determine why the sperm count is low. In women, it helps determine the reason behind irregular periods. It is also carried out in children who hit puberty earlier than expected or don’t hit puberty when they are supposed to. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
Follicle Stimulating Hormone is important to make sure the follicles mature and release the egg in women. In cases where the ovarian reserve is low, more and more FSH is released because the body has to work harder for egg maturation. This is the reason why higher level of FSH is not a good sign at all. It means that the number of ‘good’ eggs in your body is less and getting pregnant is difficult for you. At the same time, if the levels of FSH are low because of hormonal imbalance, it means that there is trouble in the maturation of the egg. This spells trouble too.
In men, FSH is important for the stimulation of sperm growth. High levels of FSH indicate testicular failure. Thus, to bring the levels of FSH down, the testicular failure has to be treated instead of the levels of FSH. Again, just like in the case of women, lower FSH means hormonal imbalance.
As aforementioned, it is carried out in men and women to determine the reason behind infertility along with gonadal and pituitary disorders. In children, if the puberty is early or delayed, the FSH test is ordered. Signs of early puberty are breast enlargement in girls, pubic hair growth, and onset of periods in very young girls.
In women: The levels of FSH can help doctors find out if the woman is suffering with primary ovarian failure or secondary ovarian failure. If the levels are very high, it is primary ovarian failure and if the levels are low, it is secondary ovarian failure.
If levels of FSH are high, it means primary testicular failure in men. The reason behind this may be developmental defects or injury to the testicles.
FSH test is nothing but a blood test. You may feel uncomfortable to begin but that will go away in a few minutes. You will have the results in a day or two.
Depending on the results of the FSH test, the doctor will tell you if the hormonal levels are abnormally high or low. You can work on the problem depending upon that.
Remember that too much is just as bad as too less. If the levels are low, they can be decreased with the help of clomiphene, cimetidine, levodopa, and digitalis. If the levels are high, they can be increased with the help of oral contraceptives or hormonal treatments.
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