Luteinizing Hormone, Human (hLH)

check icon Optimal Result: 7.7 - 58.5 uIU/ml.

Luteinizing Hormone, Human (hLH), plays a crucial role in the female reproductive system and is a key marker on a female hormone panel. This hormone, produced by the pituitary gland, is involved in regulating the menstrual cycle and ovulation. In the first half of the menstrual cycle, hLH levels gradually increase, leading to a significant surge just before ovulation. This surge is critical as it triggers the release of an egg from the ovary, making it a pivotal moment for fertility. After ovulation, if the egg is not fertilized, hLH levels decrease, and the menstrual cycle continues. In a female hormone panel, measuring hLH levels can provide valuable insights into a woman's ovulatory status and overall reproductive health. Abnormal levels of hLH can indicate various conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure, or issues with the pituitary gland. Understanding hLH levels can help healthcare providers diagnose these conditions, monitor fertility, and guide treatment options. For women experiencing infertility, tracking hLH levels can be particularly important in identifying the best time for conception efforts or for planning medical interventions such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

What does it mean if your Luteinizing Hormone, Human (hLH) result is too high?

Elevated levels of Luteinizing Hormone (hLH) in women can signify a range of reproductive health issues and are an important indicator in the diagnosis and management of conditions affecting fertility and menstrual health. One common condition associated with high hLH levels is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), where the hormonal imbalance leads to irregular menstrual cycles, difficulty in conceiving, and symptoms like excessive hair growth, acne, and weight gain.

Another possible cause for elevated hLH is premature ovarian failure, a condition where the ovaries stop functioning normally before age 40, leading to decreased fertility, irregular or absent menstrual periods, and, potentially, early menopause symptoms.

High hLH levels might also indicate menopause, reflecting the natural decline in reproductive hormones as a woman ages.

Menopause and pre-menopause (often referred to as perimenopause) significantly influence Luteinizing Hormone (hLH) levels due to the changes in hormone production and regulation that occur during these transitional phases in a woman's reproductive life.

During perimenopause, the period leading up to menopause, a woman's body begins to experience fluctuations in the levels of reproductive hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. This period is characterized by changes in the menstrual cycle, which can become irregular. In response to decreasing ovarian hormone production, the pituitary gland increases the secretion of hLH (and Follicle Stimulating Hormone, FSH) in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries to produce more estrogen and maintain normal reproductive function. This compensatory increase in hLH can lead to elevated levels of this hormone during perimenopause.

As a woman enters menopause, the ovaries significantly reduce their production of estrogen and no longer release eggs, leading to the cessation of menstrual periods. With the ovaries not responding to hormonal signals from the pituitary gland as effectively as before, levels of hLH (and FSH) remain elevated. This elevation is a hallmark of menopause and can be measured through blood tests to help diagnose this stage of a woman's life. Elevated hLH levels during menopause are a natural and expected part of the aging process and reflect the body's adjustment to the decrease in reproductive hormone production.

In summary, both menopause and perimenopause are characterized by elevated levels of hLH, which arise as the body's response to decreasing ovarian function and hormone production. These changes in hLH levels are used diagnostically to help determine a woman's transition into menopause.

The diagnosis of conditions related to elevated hLH levels typically involves a comprehensive evaluation that includes medical history, physical examination, and blood tests to measure hormone levels, sometimes complemented by ultrasound imaging to assess ovarian health.

Treatment options vary depending on the underlying cause but may include lifestyle changes like diet and exercise for managing PCOS, hormone therapy for conditions like premature ovarian failure or menopause symptoms, and fertility treatments for women facing challenges in conceiving. These treatments aim to manage symptoms, restore hormonal balance, and address specific reproductive health concerns, offering hope and improved quality of life for those affected.

All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.

What does it mean if your Luteinizing Hormone, Human (hLH) result is too low?

 

Decreased levels of Luteinizing Hormone (hLH) in women can indicate a range of conditions and imbalances within the body's reproductive and endocrine systems. Low hLH levels may suggest issues such as hypogonadism, where the sex glands produce few or no hormones, or hypothalamic amenorrhea, a condition where menstruation stops for several months due to a problem with the hypothalamus. These conditions can be diagnosed through a combination of blood tests to measure hormone levels, including hLH, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and estradiol, alongside a thorough medical history and physical examination.

Causes of decreased hLH levels vary, including genetic disorders, severe stress, extreme weight loss or gain, and chronic health conditions like eating disorders or tumors affecting the pituitary gland.

Symptoms associated with low hLH levels often mirror the underlying cause and can include irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, reduced libido, and symptoms of estrogen deficiency like hot flashes or vaginal dryness.

Treatment options are tailored to the underlying cause and may involve hormone replacement therapy to address hormone imbalances, medications to stimulate ovulation for women facing infertility, lifestyle changes to address factors like stress or weight, and surgery or radiation therapy for tumors. The goal is to restore normal hormone levels, alleviate symptoms, and address any complications arising from the underlying condition.

Laboratories

Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place

We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.

lab corp logo
genova diagnostics logo
quest diagnostics logo
dutch test logo
doctors data logo
vibrant america logo
diagnostic solutions logo
zrt laboratory logo
the great plains laboratory logo
cyrex laboratories logo
spectracell logo

Pricing Table

decoration

Personal plans

$15/ month

Complete Plan

Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Begin with first report entered
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

$250/ once

Unlimited Account

Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track all results with visual tools
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export your full lab history anytime
  • Share results securely with anyone
  • Receive 10 reports entered for you
  • Skip the $15/month subscription — no recurring payments ever

$45/ month

Pro Monthly

Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports

  • Import lab results from any provider
  • Track lab results for multiple clients
  • Customize reference ranges per client
  • Export lab histories and reports
  • Begin with first report entered by us
  • Cancel or upgrade anytime

About membership

What's included in a Healthmatters membership

microscope icon Import Lab Results from Any Source

person icon See Your Health Timeline

book icon Understand What Your Results Mean

textbook icon

textbook icon Visualize Your Results

folder icon

folder icon

card icon Securely Share With Anyone You Trust

Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story

What Healthmatters Members Are Saying

5 stars rating

I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with  any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.

Anthony

Unlimited Plan Member since 2021

5 stars rating

What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!

Karin

Advanced Plan Member since 2020

5 stars rating

As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!

Paul

Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.

  • Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
  • Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.

With a Healthmatters account, you can:

  • Upload lab reports from any lab
  • View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
  • Track trends and monitor changes over time
  • Customize your reference ranges
  • Export and share your full lab history
  • Access your results anytime, from any device

Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

shield icon

We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

gdpr compliance image hipaa compliance image