To understand the results of your LH test, your provider will consider your sex, age, symptoms, medical history, and the results of other hormone tests, especially your level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Your provider can explain what the results of your LH test mean.
Higher LH in adults:
- In women who have menstrual periods, LH levels change through the month. An increase in LH a couple of weeks after your period usually means you're ovulating normally. But high LH levels through the month may mean your ovaries aren't working properly. If you are:
- Childbearing age, higher than normal LH levels may mean you may have a disorder that affects your ovaries work, such as:
- Ovaries that never developed normally
- Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Thyroid diseases or adrenal gland disorders
- A chromosomal disorder, such as Turner syndrome
- 45 or older, high LH levels may mean you are approaching menopause.
- In men, high levels of LH may be caused by:
- A germ cell tumor (a tumor that starts in the cells that become sperm)
- Mumps
- A physical injury to the testicles
- Testicles that never developed normally
- A chromosomal disorder, such as Klinefelter syndrome
- In women and men, high LH levels may be a sign of damage to the ovaries or testicles from:
- Autoimmune disease
- Radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy
Lower-than-normal levels of LH in adults are often a sign of a problem with the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. These problems may make it hard for your body to make enough LH and FSH.
In women, low LH and FSH levels with missed periods may also be linked to extreme exercise, malnutrition, stress, or being very underweight.
Generally, in children with signs of early sexual development (before age 8 in girls or age 9 in boys):
- High levels of LH and FSH mean the child has early puberty, also called precocious puberty. In most cases, the cause is unknown. But in certain cases, the cause is a problem in the brain, such as:
- A brain tumor
- A past brain injury
- A past brain infection, such as meningitis or encephalitis
- Normal levels of LH and FSH mean the child has a type of early puberty called peripheral precocious puberty. This often means that a disorder in the testicles, ovaries, or adrenal glands is causing higher than normal levels of estrogen or testosterone. Exposure to medicines that contain sex hormones may also cause this type of early puberty.
Generally, in teens with no signs of sexual development by age 13 for girls or age 14 for boys, levels of LH and FSH may be low, normal, or high depending on the cause of delayed puberty. Many teens with delayed puberty are healthy and go through normal puberty at a later age. But delayed puberty may be caused by certain medical conditions, such as:
- Poor nutrition from a long-term illness or eating disorder
- Hypogonadism, which is when the ovaries or testicles make little or no hormone. It may be caused by:
- Certain genetic disorders, including Kallmann syndrome
- Tumors in the brain or pituitary gland
- Turner syndrome in girls
- Klinefelter syndrome in boys
- Certain autoimmune disorders
- Radiation therapy or chemotherapy
If you have questions about test results, talk with your or your child's provider.