FSH Test: Purpose, Procedure, Risks, & Understanding Reports

FSH or Follicle Stimulating Hormone, released by the pituitary gland, plays a crucial role in reproduction. In women, this hormone stimulates the growth of eggs in ovaries and in men, it helps to generate sperm. Follicle Stimulating Hormone is essential for sexual development in children. Women experiencing irregular menstruation, vaginal dryness or children experiencing delayed puberty are ones who get prescribed with the Follicle Stimulating Hormone or FSH test.

Read on to know about the Follicle Stimulating Hormone test in detail!

Follicle Stimulating Hormone test checks the level of FSH in blood or urine.

The need for this test can arise when the human body shows certain symptoms. These are discussed below.

As stated in the introductory paragraph, Follicle Stimulating Hormone helps to manage the menstrual cycle and stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs (in women).

Hence, doctors may prescribe this test to women to diagnose the following conditions -

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Women having abnormal or irregular menstrual bleeding
• Trouble getting pregnant or causes of infertility
• Premature menopause

Doctors may prescribe this test to men to evaluate the following conditions -

• Cause of infertility
• Reasons for low sperm count
• Asses testicular dysfunction 

For children, this test is given to find out the reasons of,

• Early puberty (before the age of 9 for girls and 10 for boys)
• Late puberty (by the age 13 in girls and 14 in boys)

Now that individuals know what FSH test is and why FSH test is done let’s learn about other important details. Read along!

Doctors can check FSH levels in two ways. These are as follows -

Blood Test

• While taking an FSH blood test, healthcare professionals will use a sterilized needle and take a small amount of blood from vein in your arm.

Urine Test

• Women can provide urine sample(s).The level of FSH can fluctuate; hence women might have to collect urine for over a course of 24 hours for accurate results.

For the FSH test, individuals need not take any preparations.

However, before taking FSH test, women must inform doctors if they are consuming -

• Prescription or non-prescription medications
• Dietary supplements and vitamins
• Any type of birth control, such as the pill, an intrauterine device, or the patch

Further, they must inform their doctor about any existing medical condition as it may affect the test results. These include -

• Ovarian cysts
• Uncontrolled thyroid disease

After taking a FSH test and getting the report, one might want to read the results. The following section discusses the FSH report reading process in detail. Read on.

There is nothing significant to worry about while undergoing a FSH test procedure. However, like every other procedure, it might involve certain minor risks. These are as follows -

• Vasovagal syncope (fainting at the sight of blood)
• Vertigo
• Dizziness
• Infection
• Bruising
• Redness at the needle administration site
• Moderate pain

Apart from the conditions discussed above, issues like stress, being underweight can affect FSH levels. Hence, individuals must inform every little detail pertaining to the reproductive system (if they take birth control pills) or anything they deem important enough to inform the doctor before taking the FSH test.