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Worried your high LH levels could impact your chances of conceiving? You’re not alone. There are a variety of conditions that can cause women to have increased LH levels.
It’s true that luteinizing hormone is a key player in both menstrual health and fertility. But what’s considered “normal” for levels of this hormone actually varies quite a bit from woman to woman.
In this article, we’ll uncover the common culprits for high LH and what you can do to treat high LH levels. We’ll also go over LH’s role in conception.
Takeaways
- Luteinizing hormone (LH) helps you maintain a regular menstrual cycle. LH is also the main hormone that triggers ovulation.
- LH levels can vary from woman to woman and even cycle to cycle. This is completely normal.
- If your LH levels fall outside of the general range noted for varying times of your cycle, you could have high LH levels.
- High LH levels can be caused by a variety of circumstances. Some of these include PCOS, hyperthyroidism, POI, perimenopause, and menopause.
- You can get pregnant even if you have high LH levels. But high LH can make TTC more challenging. This is why you should speak with your doctor. They’ll help you investigate the cause of your high LH and start you on a treatment plan.
What is luteinizing hormone (LH)?
Before we see what’s considered “high LH,” let’s better understand what LH is.
Luteinizing hormone (LH) is one of the four fertility hormones that plays a part in maintaining the regularity of your menstrual cycle. Its primary role is to trigger ovulation.
LH’s journey begins in the pituitary gland where it gets secreted along with another hormone called FSH. During the end of the follicular phase of your cycle, LH induces ovulation by triggering the release of the egg from the mature follicle.
Now, those are the LH basics, but let’s get even more clear on how LH is connected to ovulation.
LH and Ovulation: How does it work?
There are many little steps going on behind the scenes before you ovulate each month. Below you’ll see how LH factors into this series of events.
During the first half of your menstrual cycle, your LH levels are fairly low. This is called your follicular phase, and it’s when your ovarian follicles begin maturing. (Each growing ovarian follicle contains an immature egg).
In the late follicular phase, one of the ovarian follicles will become more mature than the rest. And it’s the job of luteinizing hormones to cue the release of the egg from this “dominant” follicle.
To make this happen, LH levels will “surge” about 24 – 36 hours before ovulation. You can think of it as the final trigger that causes ovulation.
At this point, LH’s main job is now completed. So whether you become pregnant or not during that cycle, your LH levels will return back to their baseline level.
What are normal LH levels?
As mentioned, it’s hard to pin down an exact number for “normal” LH. What could be a normal level for one woman may be considered high or low for another. And recent research has shown that LH surges in a range of patterns.
That said, look at the chart below for a general reference. It shows the typical ranges of LH in blood for different parts of your cycle.
Phase of your cycle | Range of LH levels |
Follicular phase | 1.9 – 14.6 mIU/mL |
LH surge | 6.5 – 118.0 mIU/mL |
Luteal phase | 0.7 – 12.9 mIU/mL |
Pregnancy | < 1.5 mIU/mL |
Menopause | 5.3 – 65.4 mIU/mL |
As you can see, there’s a lot of variability with this hormone. But your LH levels should reach their highest point before ovulation (during your LH surge).
With such a big range though, you’re likely wondering: What is considered high LH levels?
What is high LH?
Basically, if your LH levels are above the normal range listed in the table, you may have high LH.
Now, sometimes you could just experience high LH in a cycle every now and then. But there are conditions that can cause you to chronically high LH levels.
To understand why this happens, let’s take a look at the major causes of high LH.
Why are my LH levels consistently high?
There are several reasons you may be noticing high levels of LH (outside of your LH surge). Below you’ll learn more about potential causes.
PCOS
PCOS, aka polycystic ovary syndrome, is an endocrine disorder that causes consistently high LH. It’s a fairly common condition, so if you think you may have it, you aren’t alone. In fact, up to 13% of reproductive-aged women have this condition.
If you have PCOS, you’re likely to experience irregular cycles. This is because women with PCOS have an irregular pattern of GnRH production which affects LH production. And LH is the main hormone that regulates your cycle length.
With PCOS, instead of having increased LH levels just before ovulation, you’ll experience high LH at random times in your cycle. PCOS can also cause you to have ovarian cysts and increased amounts of male hormones called androgens.
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is another condition that affects LH production. If you have hyperthyroidism, you’ll have imbalances of reproductive hormones, including LH.
Below you’ll see specifically how hyperthyroidism can cause high LH levels.
- Increased metabolism: When you have a higher metabolic rate, a series of hormonal reactions is triggered. This stimulates your pituitary gland to increase luteinizing hormone.
- Direct effects on the pituitary gland: Hyperthyroidism can cause changes to your body’s GnRH sensitivity. This impacts both LH and FSH production.
- Altered feedback mechanisms: With hyperthyroidism, there can be abnormal feedback loops between your ovaries and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. This can cause irregular triggering of GnRH. And as a result, it can increase your LH levels.
LH-secreting pituitary tumor
A pituitary tumor can develop from the hormone-producing cells of the pituitary gland. Sometimes these tumors can produce additional LH. Hence the name LH-secreting pituitary tumors.
Often, it’s not easy to tell the cause of pituitary tumors. Sometimes they’re the result of genetics and hereditary conditions. But in other cases, there is no clear cause.
The word “tumor” may feel scary. But most pituitary tumors are benign. In some cases, they can be dangerous though. So talk to your doctor if you believe your LH levels are paired with concerning symptoms like high blood pressure or vision problems.
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
POI, aka premature ovarian failure, happens when a woman’s ovaries no longer function normally prior to turning 40. About 1 – 2% of women under 40 have this condition.
Having consistently high LH is an indicator of POI. This is because with POI, the ovarian follicles don’t respond properly to the pituitary’s gland signal to produce estrogen. And estrogen is the hormone that keeps LH in check. So with an imbalance of estrogen, LH levels are higher than they should be.
Menopause
Abnormally high LH levels can also be a symptom of perimenopause or menopause. When you near menopause, your ovaries start producing less hormones (estrogen and progesterone). This impedes the communication between your ovaries and the pituitary gland. And thus, you’ll have higher LH levels.
As you can see above, there are lots of reasons you could have abnormally high levels of LH. One thing you’ll want to avoid is self-diagnosing your condition. Instead, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your concerns. They’ll be able to help you figure out the root issue.
Besides the conditions we’ve outlined, you may also like to know how high LH affects your ability to get pregnant. We’ll spill the tea on this in the next section.
Can I get pregnant if I have high LH levels?
It is possible to get pregnant when you have high LH levels. But it’s much more challenging. High LH levels can lead to lower rates of fertilization and conception and an increased risk of miscarriage. This is true for women with regular cycles as well as those going through IUI or IVF.
How can I track my LH levels?
There are three common ways to track your levels of luteinizing hormone:
- Blood test – this would need to be ordered by your doctor.
- OPKs – ovulation predictor kits come with strips that test your LH levels in your urine. Just like home pregnancy tests, they use a control line and a test line. OPKs are helpful to an extent. But you should be aware that there is a chance of getting false results with these types of LH tests. And since they are based on an average threshold, you may get false-positive results due to high LH levels.
- Fertility monitors like the Inito monitor – The Inito monitor gives you the exact numerical value of luteinizing hormone present in your urine. This makes it helpful for tracking your unique LH trends to see what’s normal for you. And since you get exact values, you don’t have to worry about false-positive results. You’ll be able to tell when you have an LH surge versus LH that’s just higher.
Tracking your LH levels already, but still wondering: how do I know if I have high LH?
High LH levels in females: Symptoms
It may be hard to tell off of symptoms alone if you have high LH. This is because the unique symptoms will depend on your underlying condition.
But here are some potential symptoms you may experience:
- Irregular cycles
- Difficulty conceiving
- Mood swings
The best way to know if your LH is high? Consistently track your levels from cycle to cycle. This can give you a good idea of your baseline levels. In the past, experts thought the only normal type of LH pattern was to have one surge just before ovulation. But now we know that there are actually several surge patterns that are normal.
Know more: LH Levels and Surges: What Does a “Normal” LH Level Look Like?
And if you’ve already been tracking your levels or are worried that they’re high, you can also consult with your doctor. They can order an LH blood test and other tests to get a better picture of your overall health.
Also, keep in mind that it’s normal to see fluctuating LH throughout your menstrual cycle. You could even see some changes in your pattern from cycle to cycle, and that’s normal too. For most women, LH will be fairly low during the follicular phase and luteal phase. And levels will rise 24 to 36 hours before ovulation and reach their peak 8 to 20 hours before ovulation.
Let’s say you’ve confirmed that your LH levels are high for some reason. How can you manage your LH levels?
Treatment for high LH levels
How you move forward with managing your high LH levels will depend on the root cause of the imbalance.
If you have a diagnosed condition such as PCOS or POI, your doctor will help you develop a treatment plan to regulate your LH levels.
Some possible ways to help regulate your LH levels include fertility treatments, lifestyle changes, and medications. But of course, it all depends on your unique health profile and your fertility goals.
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