Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) helps control a woman's menstrual cycle and egg production, as well as a man's sperm production. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland.
Women's FSH levels normally vary throughout the menstrual cycle and are highest just before release of an egg (ovulation). Men's FSH levels normally stay at a constant level. An abnormally high or low level of FSH is often a sign of an inability to produce eggs or sperm.
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Last Updated | May 25, 2007 |
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise