Luteinising Hormone (LH)
Also known as: LH · luteinizing hormone · lutropin
The pituitary hormone that tells the testes to make testosterone and triggers ovulation in women.
LH is released by the pituitary in pulses, in response to GnRH from the hypothalamus. In men it acts on the Leydig cells of the testes to produce testosterone; in women a surge of LH triggers ovulation.
Because testosterone feeds back on the brain, external testosterone lowers LH — one reason sperm production falls during hormone therapy. Blood LH is measured alongside FSH and testosterone when clinicians assess the reproductive axis.
RELATED TERMS
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
The pituitary hormone that grows ovarian follicles and supports sperm development in the testes.
HPG Axis (Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Gonadal Axis)
The hormone loop from hypothalamus (GnRH) to pituitary (LH, FSH) to gonads (testosterone, oestradiol, sperm or eggs).
Spermatogenesis
The roughly three-month process by which the testes produce mature sperm, driven by FSH and high testosterone inside the testes.
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