Luteinizing Hormone

Levels are slightly above normal…
Was reading that LH stimulates testosterone production… so I was thinking awesome
Then I read somewhere it could be because my testicles were damaged or something is wrong with them

Is the only effect of excess LH an increase in testosterone production? Could I just be lucky or damaged?

Me:
Body hair, beard/mustache, good penis, pubic hair, can ejaculate. Other questions?

Opinions !?!
Thanks.

Some research:

High values
Ovaries are absent or have been removed.
Ovaries are not functioning because of menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or damage from chemotherapy.
Testicles are absent or have been removed.
Testicles are not functioning because of surgery or damage from mumps, X-ray exposure, chemotherapy, cancer, or injury.
Klinefelter syndrome.
Early puberty in young girls.
http://www.webm d.com/hw/womens … ions/hw8017.asp

Abnormally high or low LH levels can be a sign of an inability to produce eggs or sperm.
http://www.webm d.com/hw/health … atoz/tn9620.asp

Greater-than-normal levels of LH may indicate:

Anorchia (absence of testes or testes that do not function)
Hypogonadism
Klinefelter’s syndrome
Menopause
Ovarian failure (see Ovarian hypofunction)
Polycystic ovary disease
Precocious puberty
Turner’s syndrome
Luteinizing hormone (LH) blood test: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

What were your testosterone and other lab numbers? Include the reference ranges.

I wouldn’t worry about a single test showing LH up a bit. All that stuff goes in pulses, and you may have had blood drawn during one.

Low T with high LH is indicative of primary testicular failure. The sytem sending the signal works, but the nuts aren’t responding.

The bad part is, I didn’t ask, he was just telling me what was wrong in the test and when we are going to redo it. He said everything else was normal, and I am pretty sure he did testosterone and estrogen levels. Is it possible to have Normal T and Slightly Normal LH? I mean, that’s the point, what’s it do?

You should request a copy of your lab results. Save it for comparison years down the road.

Yes, in a given test LH can be somewhat above the reference range while testosterone is fine. Levels vary throughout the day. LH is released in pulses. A single test is only a snapshot.

That said, I wouldn’t trust the average doctor to determine whether testosterone is adequate. Many are ignorant about testosterone and consider numbers barely above the bottom of the reference range fine and dandy, regardless of age or symptoms. Get the actual figures.

hobby, if my testosterone is on the low side of normal, I doubt any doctor is going to give me testosterone. It’s just too unlikely since it’s scheduled right?

I’m getting the test done in the morning, he requested that specifically and it’s done next wednesday.

I’ll see if I can get him to send me a copy of the results, I’ll call now.

Depends on how low, what part of the system isn’t working and why. Here is a good forum about male hormones. There are also some Yahoo groups. I think anyone considering TRT should give some thought to Dr. Crisler’s recommendations in the files downloadable from the bottom of his page .

Maybe you’ve lucked onto a good doctor. He knows enough to have the test done in the morning, which is a good sign.

Hobby, my Total Testosterone is 455 :( Reference range is 400-1080 or so. So Total T is low side of normal and LH is slightly high.

Hobby do you have any idea what it could be doing this

The Test is apparently on the range of 280-800 or so and I’m 455 according to that lab

This doesn’t make any sense

What are the rest of your results? Estradiol, free testosterone, etc.

High LH indicates your brain wants your testosterone higher, yet your nuts aren’t responding to the increased signal. Or maybe those values are normal for you.

455 total T isn’t bad. I’ve had mine checked twice, several years apart. Both times it was around 320-340 (280 to whatever reference range), with free T also in the bottom part of its range. LH was also on the lower end. Estradiol was within reference, but high considering the low testosterone. Prolactin was fine. TSH was high on the first test at 4+ and fine the next at 1.something. Relatively high estrogen may be at least partly responsible for my testosterone being low, thus my interest in anti-estrogen and aromatase inhibiting substances. More likely is a sluggish hypothalamus and/or pituitary. I suspect TRT is in my future.

I’d like to try a cycle of testosterone to see if I feel any different/better. Not a lot, just enough to boost my T to 800-1000 for a few months. Include some regular low doses of HCG. Also an aromatase inhibitor if estrogen gets out of hand. Too bad the only legal way to do this is to find a doctor who is good with TRT and then pay him way more than I can afford, including a bunch of tests showing what I already know. I haven’t gone the illegal route, though I admit at times I’m tempted.

Being 18 (correct?) with a free T of 450ish, you shouldn’t even be considering TRT. I don’t know if LH on the high end portends anything for your future or not. The forum I linked above would be a good place to ask. Be sure to include your health history. I don’t have time to search, but IIRC you posted in another thread about having a relatively rare condition. Maybe I’m confusing you with someone else.

If your testosterone and estrogen are good, tests on LH/FSH, estradiol, prolactin, etc. are nice, but don’t really accomplish much. These extra tests are useful in determining why testosterone is out of whack. For example, high prolactin could indicate a prolactinoma, warranting further tests. If estrogen is way high, excessive aromatization could be the problem.

If testosterone is low and other causes have been ruled out, then something in the HPTA isn’t working. Failure breaks down into 2 categories. Primary testicular failure is where the testicles are receiving sufficient signal to produce testosterone (via LH) but aren’t responding. The nuts themselves aren’t working.

Secondary failure is where the nuts are ok but the signal mechanism is malfunctioning. The brain for whatever reason doesn’t ramp things up when it should. The hypothalamus secretes GnRH which causes the pituitary to produce LH and FSH. LH and FSH are the “signal” to the testicles to make testosterone and sperm.

LH results are similar to TSH (thyroid) results in that they are both a gauge of the state of the feedback mechanism in their systems. Low numbers indicate the body is satisfied with the current level of hormones. High numbers indicate it is saying, “Make more, we’re too low.”

Actually, I have a medical anamaly, bilateral carpal and tarsal tunnel. I have 4 bottles of various painkillers for the FOUR compressed nerves. Initially this is why I went to the doctor. I retook the test and will find out the results on Saturday or so. If my TSH is high and LH is high I am going to be placed on TRT and T3 :( All this at 18. Can my life get any worse honestly? Then he is going to run more tests to see if what he is doing is proper. I just want to be normal, but hell, that will never be.

I tried to buy an endocrinology book at 2 stores today and they didn’t carry any. I will attempt to read about HPTA tonight. I spent all day depressed about a future of TRT and why I hated it. This actually does make sense… I have a lack of hair, horrible mood, can’t gain muscle, etc etc.

If I’m placed on Testosterone and T3, maybe my carpal and tarsal tunnel will relieve themselves, I can only hope right.

I saw your post on Lyle’s board. Remember when asking about things like this to provide your history and current drug use. The drugs may be a factor.

I suppose it depends on your symptoms, but I’d be very reluctant to start TRT from what you’ve said so far, especially considering that your total testosterone is not very low. You haven’t given the numbers for free testosterone, estradiol and whatever else was tested.

I’m not a doctor, but if my TSH was up a little I’d want more tests to get a better idea of what is going on before committing to thyroid pills. TSH is no more an indicator of thyroid levels than LH is of testosterone. TSH is commonly checked because it’s a cheap, quick screen serving as a rough gauge of whether a person might have a problem. If TSH is ok, fine. If it’s high, check it again later. If still high, do more specific tests. Initiating thyroid replacement solely based on a high TSH sounds nuts to me. Same for testosterone replacement based only on a slightly high LH.

I think you and your doctor should be more focused on the actual hormone levels instead of the state of the feedback mechanisms.

Actually I’ve been drug free for awhile, months, so my tests were unaffected. I’m trying my best to understand the endocrine system… I assume the doctor is running more tests dealing with testosterone versus the limited ones done before. I’m at the point in my life where I don’t care if the diagnosis is wrong, at least I’m being treated for some symptom. I’m sick of living as I do, so something is better than nothing.

I’m in a research phase preparing for the worst… I can’t sleep its 6:15 AM… but SATURDAY is almost here, thank god.

I forgot to mention, he said he would do therapy then test me for the unlying reasons if any, he basically just wants to see if I get better from a treatment option I think.

What’s the news? Have any more numbers?

There is some relation between thyroid and other hormones. I’m not anywhere near an expert, but from what I understand low thyroid can cause low testosterone. I have no idea if this applies in your case, but I mention it because if your thyroid hormones are truly low (not just going by TSH) I’d think a sensible plan would be to supplement T3/T4 for a few months and then recheck testosterone. Fix the thyroid, then see where T ends up.

He never called….

Hypo increases free T, and Hyper decrease free T… so if I was hypo I’d be nothing close to hypogonadal.
My T4 and T3 are both low, T3 is clinically low, T4 is just on the fence low and TSH goes from 0.04 apparently to 1.5 apparently. By TSH going up, it meant going back to at least 1…. don’t worry, none of this actually makes any sense.