Fsh Lh Prolactin Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum
What is this test?
FSH LH Prolactin Testosterone Blood Test measures the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, testosterone hormone in the blood of both men and women to ensure a healthy reproductive system. These hormones are produced in the anterior pituitary gland. It affects the sex organs in both men and women during sexual development. In women, FSH and LH help in menstruation, ovulation, and puberty. Prolactin helps in the production of breast milk in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. In men, FSH and LH stimulate the production of testosterone that is necessary for the production of sperms. The exact role of prolactin in men is not known. However, small amounts of prolactin are produced in both men and women that help to measure sexual satisfaction in both men and women. A testosterone test is done to know whether the testicular function in men is normal or abnormal. This test is used to diagnose the hypogonadism, hypopituitarism, impotence, and Klinefelter syndrome, erectile dysfunction, testicular tumors, hypothalamus or pituitary gland disorder in men.
What is FSH?
In women, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) helps in the growth of ovarian follicle and also stimulate the ovarian follicle to produce the female sex hormone, estrogen. Thus, this hormone plays an important role in menstruation, ovulation, and puberty.
In men, FSH stimulates the production of testosterone that is necessary for the production of sperms. Thus, FSH plays a major role in regulating the function of testes in men. This hormone plays a major role in puberty and fertility.
What is LH?
Luteinizing hormone is produced by the pituitary gland. It affects the sex organs in both men and women during sexual development. In women, LH works with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to stimulate the ovarian follicle to produce the female sex hormone, estrogen. The rise in estrogen stimulates the release of more LH. This cause the ovarian follicle to release the mature egg from the ovary, a process called ovulation and turns the remnants of the follicle into a corpus luteum. If fertilization occurs, the LH stimulates the corpus luteum to produce progesterone. Progesterone is an essential hormone needed to maintain pregnancy. If fertilization does not occur the levels of progesterone drop off leading to the beginning of next cycle. Thus this hormone plays an important role in menstruation, ovulation, and puberty. In men, LH hormone binds to receptors in Leydig cells present in the testes. This hormone stimulates the production of testosterone from these cells that are necessary for the production of sperms. Therefore, LH plays a major role in regulating the function of testes in men. This hormone plays an important role in puberty and fertility.
What is prolactin?
Prolactin is also known as PRL or lactogenic hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Prolactin helps in the production of breast milk in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. The exact role of prolactin in men is not known. However, small amounts of prolactin are produced in both men and women that help to measure sexual satisfaction in both men and women.
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone plays an important role in the facilitation of spermatogenesis. Testosterone stimulates the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men like the growth of the body hair, deepening of the voice, enlargement of the penis (sex organ in men), muscle development. In women, testosterone is converted to the main female sex hormone i.e:-Estradiol. Testosterone production is high in the early morning hours from about 4-am to 8-am and low in production from about 4-pm to 8-pm. Production of testosterone is rapidly high at the onset of puberty and starts to drop at the age near to 30.
Why this test is performed?
This test is performed mainly to assess the functions of reproductive organs, fertility issues, ovulation process and function of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. In women, your doctor may ask to perform this test if you have irregular or heavy menstrual periods, difficulty in getting pregnant or fertility issues or if you suspect menopause, and to detect any pituitary or hypothalamus problems. In men, your doctor may ask to perform this test if you have a low sperm count, fertility issues, or signs of low testosterone levels such as decreased sex drive, low muscle mass, and to detect any pituitary or hypothalamus problems. Also if you have loss of bone mass, underdeveloped male genitals, underdevelopment of muscle in puberty, enlarged breasts, low energy levels, etc.
Test Preparation
Inform your doctor if you are on any medications, have any allergies or underlying medical conditions before your Fsh Lh Prolactin Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum. Your doctor will give specific instructions depending on your condition on how to prepare for Fsh Lh Prolactin Testosterone Clia / Cmia / Eclia Blood Serum.
No specific preparation is required for this test.
Understanding your test results
This test result gives a clear diagnosis regarding infertility. The levels of each hormone help to assess the fertility issues, functions of reproductive organs, pituitary gland or hypothalamus.
If the test results fall in the normal reference range generally no medical intervention is necessary.
In women, the increased levels of FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH) may indicate a condition called primary ovarian failure, where the ovaries fail to work properly themselves. There are many causes for this condition such as autoimmune disorders, ovarian tumors, Turner syndrome (a genetic abnormality), polycystic ovary syndrome, menopause, adrenal or thyroid disease etc. in women whose ovaries are not properly developed, who use chemotherapy medicines or have exposure to radiation therapy also shows increased levels of FSH and LH. Decreased levels of FSH and LH may indicate a condition called secondary ovarian failure. This condition is due to the problem with pituitary or hypothalamus glands. This fails to stimulate the ovaries and ovarian function leading to ovulary problems.
In men, the increased levels of FSH and LH may indicate a condition called primary testicular failure, where the gonads fail to work properly themselves. There are many causes for this condition such as autoimmune disorders, germ cell tumors, Klinefelter syndrome (a genetic abnormality, viral infection such as mumps, trauma, etc. In men whose gonads are not properly developed, who use chemotherapy medicines, or have exposure to radiation therapy also shows increased levels of FSH and LH. Decreased levels of FSH and LH may indicate a condition called secondary testicular failure. This condition is due to the problem with pituitary or hypothalamus glands. This fails to produce sufficient male sex hormone testosterone affecting the development of male characteristics and fertility. Lack of sexual drive, fatigue, low muscle mass, sexual dysfunction is common in men with low testosterone levels.
Small amounts of prolactin are produced in the blood of both men and non-pregnant women. However high levels of prolactin are normal during pregnancy and in breastfeeding women. A moderate increase in prolactin levels may be seen in individuals with stress due to an illness, seizures, lung cancer, or chest wall trauma, etc. However high levels of prolactin in men and non- pregnant women can be due to conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, an eating disorder anorexia nervosa, hypothalamus or pituitary disorders, infertility issues etc. Polycystic ovary syndrome is also a reason for high levels of prolactin in women.
Abnormally high levels of prolactin in both men and women are called prolactinoma, a condition in which a noncancerous pituitary tumor overproduces the prolactin in the body. Symptoms of prolactinoma in women are an unexplained flow of breast milk (galactorrhea), visual impairment, a headache, abnormal growth of body and facial hair, acne, irregular menstrual periods, vaginal dryness, pain or discomfort during sex, etc. Symptoms of prolactinoma in men are visual impairment, a headache, abnormal growth of body and facial hair, erectile dysfunction, decreased sex drive, or very uncommonly enlarged breasts etc.
In the case of increased Testosterone in the blood than the normal range then it may be due to early puberty in young men, acne, high libido (hypersexuality), infertility (not getting pregnant), steroid abuse, tumors in testes, decreased sperm count, high blood pressure, high red blood cell count, aggression, treatment with testosterone medications, polycystic ovarian syndrome (enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges).
If the level of Testosterone is less than the normal range then it may be due to hypogonadism (failure of the testes in men and ovaries in women to function properly), testicular failure, pituitary disorders, Klinefelter syndrome (genetic disorder in which a male is born with an extra copy of the X chromosome), obesity, adrenal cancer, ovarian cancer, high levels of stress, major surgery.
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