Infertility Female Profile I

The Luteinising Hormone test determines the level of luteinizing hormone that promotes the functioning of the gonads i.e,. testes in men and ovaries in women. LH is produced by the pituitary gland, a pea-sized gland situated at the base of the brain. The production and release of LH are controlled by a system known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. A hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone is released from the hypothalamus of the brain and binds on the cell receptors in the anterior pituitary gland, which in turn prompts the synthesis and release of luteinizing hormone. LH then travels across the blood and attaches to its target cells in the testes in men and ovaries in women, to facilitate optimal sexual and reproductive activities.

A Follicle Stimulating Hormone test measures the level of FSH in your body. FSH is produced and subsequently released into the blood by the pituitary gland. Its production is controlled by a feedback mechanism involving gonadotropin-releasing hormone situated in the hypothalamus in the brain. The released FSH travels through your blood and then attaches to receptors in the ovaries and testes and exerts its functional effects on the reproductive organs, such as sexual development, puberty and maturation. FSH levels vary throughout the menstrual cycle in response to estradiol and progesterone. Any disruption or issue in this feedback mechanism can prevent normal function of the testicles or ovaries. Thus determining its level provides crucial information regarding your health.    

A Serum Prolactin test measures the levels of prolactin hormone in a person’s body. During pregnancy, prolactin, estrogen, and progesterone hormones stimulate breast milk development. Following childbirth, prolactin helps initiate and maintain the breast milk supply. If a woman does not breastfeed, her prolactin concentration will soon drop back to pre-pregnancy levels.

Besides pregnancy, the most common cause of elevated prolactin concentration is prolactinoma, a prolactin-producing tumor of the pituitary gland. Prolactinomas are the most common type of pituitary tumor and are usually benign (non-cancerous). They develop more frequently in women but are also found in men.

If the pituitary gland and/or the tumor enlarge significantly, it can put pressure on the optic nerve, causing headaches and visual disturbances, and can interfere with the other hormones that the pituitary gland produces.