Treatment for Abnormal FSH Levels in Men Often, testosterone therapy is given to men with high FSH levels, since high FSH can lead to low testosterone; this can help increase fertility in these men. In other cases, treating the underlying cause of the abnormal FSH levels will correct the problem.
If you are a man, high FSH levels may mean: Your testicles have been damaged due to chemotherapy, radiation, infection, or alcohol abuse. You have Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic disorder affects sexual development in males. It often causes infertility.
Lifestyle factors. In addition to the most common cause, which is pituitary malfunction, low levels of FSH can be caused by stress, hormonal drugs such as testosterone and steroids or an underactive thyroid gland. Also by anorexia, alcohol abuse, or eating a diet very high in soy protein.
Clomiphene citrate is prescribed to men who have infertility due to hormonal imbalances. Clomiphene citrate causes an increase in luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This increases the signal to the testes to increase testosterone production and sperm production.
Using donor eggs for IVF is an extremely effective treatment for patients with high FSH levels, and it is much more common that you think. Babies conceived with donor eggs have brought untold joy to so many families who would otherwise never have been able to get pregnant.
Although low FSH levels can be easily corrected with medication such as birth control pills, the poor ovarian function or diminished egg pool reserve may not be fixed.
While each fertility clinic uses a different assay to measure FSH, most centers say that anything above 15 is considered “abnormal.” On average, patients in the 10-to-15 range have a 50% lower success rate of bringing home a baby than others in their age group with FSH levels of 9.5 or below.
Treatment for Abnormal FSH Levels in Men
Often, testosterone therapy is given to men with high FSH levels, since high FSH can lead to low testosterone; this can help increase fertility in these men. In other cases, treating the underlying cause of the abnormal FSH levels will correct the problem.
Through interaction with its receptor (FSHR) [9], FSH acts on its unique target in male cells, namely, the Sertoli cells, located at the basis of the seminiferous tubules of the testis [10,11]. These cells create a niche in which spermatogonia proliferate and mature [10,11].
FSH is responsible for testicular growth and the production and maturation of sperm cells. Similar to LH, a low FSH level means low libido or inability to conceive while a high FSH means damaged testicles. Testicles could be damaged for reasons like infection, chemotherapy, or excessive use of alcohol.
As discussed previously, a normal FSH (1.0–7.0 mIU/mL) is usually consistent with good sperm production, whereas an elevated FSH generally signals a possible testicular problem with sperm production (as the pituitary gland is trying to tell the testicles to make more sperm).
Psychological stress primarily lowers serum total testosterone level with secondary rise in serum LH and FSH levels altering seminal quality. Stress management is warranted for male infertility cases.
But higher-than-normal FSH levels are usually a sign or side effect of hypogonadism when an issue originates in the gonads. This is because a lack of sex hormone production by the gonads (often due to some type of damage) causes your pituitary gland to release excess FSH to try to stimulate more sex hormone production.
Primary hypogonadism is associated with low levels of testosterone and high-normal to high levels of LH and FSH. Secondary hypogonadism is associated with low levels of testosterone and normal to low levels of LH and FSH.
Continuous evaluation by cycle phase indicated that recent daily stress was associated with lower total and free E2 and LH during the follicular phase and with lower progesterone and higher FSH during the luteal phase.
Depending on how high your FSH is, your doctor may order a retest to see if your level was temporarily elevated or if the high result persists over time. Since FSH can fluctuate from cycle to cycle, a single high result is less likely to be concerning as it may be in the normal range in a subsequent month.
Women, when they undergo menopause, lose bone and gain body fat. FSH, which rises at menopause, could be responsible for the weight gain and bone loss that many women experience in their middle ages.
In men, the production of follicle stimulating hormone is regulated by circulating levels of inhibin. If spermatogenesis is impaired, this will lead to less inhibin being produced by the testes. The usual action of inhibin is to inhibit FSH release from the pituitary gland.
Elevated LH and FSH levels suggest primary hypogonadism, whereas low or low-normal LH and FSH levels suggest secondary hypogonadism. Normal LH or FSH levels with low testosterone suggest primary defects in the hypothalamus and/or the pituitary (secondary hypogonadism).
Omega-3 fatty acids are important in the production of hormones in the body, which may in turn improve FSH levels. There is some evidence that increasing omega-3 intake through diet or supplements may decrease elevated FSH levels in some cases.
FSH secretion is suppressed by negative feedback of the ovarian hormones estradiol, inhibin, and progesterone during the early and midluteal phase.
Symptoms associated with increased FSH levels in men are loss of libido, tiredness, decreased sperm count, and moodiness.