FSH

FSH and Miscarriage

Elevated FSH, estrogen, LH, prolactin, DHEAS linked to recurrent miscarriage

FSH, estradiol, LH, prolactin and DHEAS concentrations were significantly higher in the unexplained recurrent miscarriage group than in the explained recurrent miscarriage group, although serum concentrations of all hormones were within the normal range.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14503976

Elevated FSH or estrogen found in 58% of unexplained recurrent miscarriage

The test group comprised women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage. The control group comprised women with a known cause of recurrent miscarriage. Both day 3 FSH and estradiol levels were elevated in the unexplained miscarriage group compared with the control group. When combined, FSH or estradiol levels, or both, were elevated in 58% of the unexplained recurrent miscarriage group and 19% of the control group (odds ratio, 5.95). Age, parity, and presence of infertility did not differ between groups. CONCLUSION(S): Women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage have a greater incidence of elevated day 3 serum FSH and estradiol levels than do women with a known cause of recurrent miscarriage. Therefore, diminished ovarian reserve may contribute to recurrent pregnancy loss and should be considered part of the work-up for recurrent miscarriage.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10927054

Lowering FSH Levels

Soy decreases FSH, LH, estrogen, free T3 and DHEAS

Isoflavones were consumed in soy protein powders and provided relative to body weight (control diet, 10; low isoflavone diet, 64; high isoflavone diet, 128 mg/day) for three menstrual cycles plus 9 days in a randomized cross-over design. The low isoflavone diet decreased LH and FSH levels during the periovulatory phase. The high isoflavone diet decreased free T3 and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels during the early follicular phase and estrone levels during the midfollicular phase. No other significant changes were observed in hormone concentrations or in the length of the menstrual cycle, follicular phase, or luteal phase.

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/84/1/192

Dietary fiber lowers FSH, estrogen, progesterone, and LH

Dietary fiber consumption was inversely associated with hormone concentrations (estradiol, progesterone, LH, and FSH) and positively associated with the risk of anovulation by using random-effects models with adjustment for total calories, age, race, and vitamin E intake. Each 5-g/d increase in total fiber intake was associated with a 1.78-fold increased risk of an anovulatory cycle. The adjusted odds ratio of 5 g fruit fiber/d was 3.05.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/90/4/1061

Vitamin D deficiency elevates FSH and LH, impairs egg production

Vitamin D deficiency caused uterine hypoplasia and impaired folliculogenesis in mice. Elevated serum levels of LH and FSH revealed hypergonadotropic hypogonadism in these mice.

http://endo.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/141/4/1317

Vitex lowers FSH, LH and GnRh

Another mechanism through which vitex agnus castus may work is the opiate system, which consists of u, s, and k opiate receptors andendogenous opiate peptides such as beta-endorphin. This peptide assists in regulating the menstrual cycle through inhibition of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA), therefore decreasing the amount of gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) acting on the pituitary, which decreases the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378874105008457

FSH and Birth Defects

Physiological age of ovaries, elevated FSH, more important than age in Down Syndrome odds

Women who reported surgical removal of all or part of an ovary or congenital absence of one ovary were significantly more likely to have delivered a child with Down Syndrome than were women who did not report a reduced ovarian complement (odds ratio 9.61). Because others have observed that women who have had an ovary removed exhibit elevated levels of FSH and similar hallmarks of advanced maternal age, our finding suggests that the physiological status of the ovary is key to the maternal-age effect.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1378004/pdf/10733467.pdf

Elevated day 3 FSH and/or estrogen linked to aneuploidy

A significantly greater proportion of women with abnormal fetal karyotype had elevated baseline serum FSH (> or =15 mIU/mL [RIA] or 10 mIU/mL [Immulite]) and/or estradiol > or = 50 pg/mL) compared with women of normal fetal karyotype. Elevated day 3 serum follicle stimulating hormone and/or estradiol may predict fetal aneuploidy.

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0015028298005251

FSH Information

FSH and LH increase with age

Among U.S. women aged 35-60 years, median FSH and LH levels began to increase for women in their late 40s and reached a plateau for women in their early 50s. This study supports the previously reported association between serum FSH and age (i.e., serum FSH and LH levels increase with age) and smoking (i.e., current smoking was associated with an increased level of serum FSH). At FSH levels of > or = 15 IU/L or > or = 20 IU/L. 70 and 73% of women, respectively, were postmenopausal.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10100177

Older women have shorter follicular phases and higher follicular phase FSH and estrogen

The number of cycle days until the dominant ovarian follicle reached a mean diameter of 15 mm was lower (11.6 vs. 15.6 days), and the early follicular phase mean FSH and mean estradiol levels were higher (9.3 vs. 6.6 mIU/mL and 305 vs. 160 pmol/L) in the older group (aged 40-45 yr) compared to the younger group (age 20-25 yr).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8626862

FSH raises estrogen, LH raises testosterone

In the ovaries, LH acts on theca and interstitial cells to produce progestins and androgens, and FSH acts on granulosa cells to stimulate aromatization of these precursor steroids to estrogen.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/922038-overview

Estrogen upregulates FSH receptor sites. In turn, FSH stimulates granulosa cells to produce estrogens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FSH-receptor

Inhibin A lowers FSH and testosterone

Inhibin has long been considered as a suppresser of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion from anterior pituitary through pituitary-gonad negative feedback to regulate follicle development. We demonstrated that addition of inhibin A could significantly suppress FSH-induced FSHR mRNA level in cultured rat granulosa cells (GCs) measured by real-time PCR. Inhibin A was also capable of suppressing FSH-induced expression of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) and androgen receptor, but stimulating DAX-1 expression in the culture. Our study has provided new evidence to show that inhibin A is capable of feedback antagonizing FSH action on GCs by reducing FSHR expression at ovarian level via a short feedback loop.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18992787

GnRH raises FSH and LH; Estrogen raises LH

As progesterone decreases, GnRH rises and causes stimulation of LH and FSH. FSH causes maturation of follicles past the antral stage. The dominant follicle establishes itself and is the main follicle that grows. The growing follicle produces estrogen in the granulosa cells. Estrogen actually peaks before ovulation and it is the estrogen that causes the final LH release.

FSH