LH — What It Means in Your Blood Test
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This hormone triggers the release of an egg in women and helps make testosterone in men.
Your LH result reflects how much of this messenger the brain is sending toward the reproductive organs. Reading it alongside related values, doctors judge whether that signalling looks balanced.
Also known as: Luteinizing hormone, Lutropin, Interstitial cell-stimulating hormone, ICSH
This isn't a case where higher or lower is better. Your body keeps it in a narrow band, and both directions can matter.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
What is LH?
Luteinizing hormone comes from the pituitary, a small gland at the base of the brain. It triggers egg release in women and testosterone in men.
Why is LH tested?
You may have this test to check the link between the brain and the ovaries or testes. It helps with cycle changes, fertility, and timing egg release.
What is a normal LH range?
- India
- No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison.
- Global
- Women (follicular): 1.9–12.5 mIU/mL; Women (mid-cycle peak): 8.7–76.3 mIU/mL; Women (luteal): 0.5–16.9 mIU/mL; Postmenopausal women: 10–54 mIU/mL; Men: 1.5–9.3 mIU/mL
Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Source: [Endocrine Society, 2017]
What does your LH value mean?
There is no widely-accepted set of value bands for this parameter. Compare your result with the reference range printed on your own report, and discuss it with your doctor.
What does a high LH result mean?
A high result can link to ovaries or testes that are underworking, polycystic ovary syndrome, or menopause. Your doctor can help interpret it.
What does a low LH result mean?
A low result can go with a pituitary or brain signal that is turned down. This affects reproductive messaging and is worth discussing with your doctor.
What can affect your LH result?
- Phase of the cycle (it surges mid-cycle)
- Age and menopause status
- It is released in bursts, so one sample may not reflect the average
- Hormones taken from an outside source
- Stress and nutrition
Questions to ask your doctor
About this result
- What does my LH result mean for me specifically, given my age and health?
- Is my LH in the range that is right for me, not just the lab's general range?
What to do next
- Could anything I eat, do, or take have affected my Ovulation trigger hormone result?
- Is there anything I should do about my LH, or is it fine to leave as it is?
About retesting
- Does my LH need to be repeated, and if so, when?
- The typical range for LH can vary between labs — should I compare my result against my own lab's printed range?
The bigger picture
- Should my LH be looked at together with my Total Testosterone and Free Testosterone result?
- Does my LH connect to any condition I already have, or to anything I have noticed in how I feel?
Frequently asked questions
- What is LH?
- Luteinizing hormone comes from the pituitary, a small gland at the base of the brain. It triggers egg release in women and testosterone in men. You may have this test to check the link between the brain and the ovaries or testes. It helps with cycle changes, fertility, and timing egg release.
- What is a normal Ovulation trigger hormone range?
- A typical adult range is around Women (follicular): 1.9–12.5 mIU/mL; Women (mid-cycle peak): 8.7–76.3 mIU/mL; Women (luteal): 0.5–16.9 mIU/mL; Postmenopausal women: 10–54 mIU/mL; Men: 1.5–9.3 mIU/mL. No India-specific national reference interval is published for this parameter; your lab's printed range is the most reliable comparison. Ranges vary by lab, method and equipment — the range printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
- What does a high LH result mean?
- A high result can link to ovaries or testes that are underworking, polycystic ovary syndrome, or menopause. Your doctor can help interpret it.
- What does a low LH result mean?
- A low result can go with a pituitary or brain signal that is turned down. This affects reproductive messaging and is worth discussing with your doctor.
- What can affect your LH result?
- Several everyday factors can influence it, including Phase of the cycle (it surges mid-cycle), Age and menopause status, It is released in bursts, so one sample may not reflect the average, Hormones taken from an outside source, Stress and nutrition.
Sources
- Endocrine Society (2017) — Guidelines on evaluation of female infertility and reproductive endocrinology
Part of the Hormones
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