Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
Also known as: FSH
FSH is the pituitary hormone that drives ovarian follicular development (women) and spermatogenesis (men). Elevated FSH in midlife women signals declining ovarian reserve; in men it provides context on testicular function.
What Follicle-Stimulating Hormone measures
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a pituitary gonadotropin that drives ovarian follicle development in women and Sertoli cell function (spermatogenesis) in men.
Clinical significance
FSH defines reproductive stage in women (perimenopause, menopause) and characterizes male hypogonadism as primary (testicular failure, high FSH) or secondary (pituitary, low/normal FSH).
How oMeds reviews it
Required when characterizing hypogonadism and in perimenopause assessment. Provider review pairs FSH with LH, estradiol, and (in men) total testosterone.
Standard clinical reference intervals
Lab-reported reference ranges from established standards bodies. These are diagnostic thresholds — they do not represent optimization targets.
Source: LabCorp adult male reference
Source: Reproductive-age follicular phase reference
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone — frequently asked
What FSH indicates menopause?
Persistent FSH >25 mIU/mL with absent menses for 12 months supports menopause diagnosis.
Source literature
How this entity relates
Every entity in the oMeds knowledge graph cross-links to the conditions, biomarkers, medications, and educational surfaces it touches.
Conditions this biomarker informs
Co-reviewed biomarkers
Related Optimization Resources
Recommended Next Step
Take the Universal AssessmentBring this entity into your optimization pathway
Every condition, symptom, biomarker, and medication on oMeds is reviewed by a licensed provider and recalibrated against the standardized biomarker panel.