Urinary Excretion of Follicle-Stimulating and Luteinizing Hormones

Abstract

A study was made of the urinary excretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in normal men, young women and postmenopausal women, and in certain patients who had increased gonadotropin titers. It was found that, in men, the mean urinary excretion of FSH and LH was 0.34 mg equivalent of NIH-FSH-S1 and 0.25 mg equivalent of NIH-LH-S1 per 24 hr, respectively, an FSH/LH ratio of 1.3. In young women, the urinary excretion of FSH and LH during different phases of the menstrual cycle was of a similar order of magnitude. The excretion of FSH did not vary greatly during the cycle, but it was higher in the first half than in the second. LH excretion was increased during the middle portion of the cycle. Therefore, the FSH /LH ratio was high in the follicular phase, due to the increased FSH excretion and low LH excretion; decreased during the middle of the cycle, due to the slight decrease in FSH excretion and peak excretion of LH;and also decreased in the last third of the cycle, due to decreased excretion of both FSH and LH. Compared to normal men, in postmenopausal women FSH and LH excretions were increased 11-fold and 9-fold, respectively; hence, the FSH/LH ratio (about 2) was not very different from that of men. Increased excretion of FSH and LH also was found in patients with Turner's syndrome and Klinefelter's syndrome. In Turner's syndrome, the FSH and LH increased proportionally; hence, the FSH/LH ratio was similar to that of postmenopausal women. A slightly disproportionate increase in FSH and LH excretions in Klinefelter's syndrome raised the FSH/LH ratio to 2.8. The most disproportionate increase was found in castrated men: the excretion of FSH was increased 3-fold but the LH excretion was slightly reduced; hence, the FSH/LH ratio was about 7.