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.
However, the replenishment of recombinant FSH in GnRHa-treated gonadectomized mice resulted in a significant increase in body weight and fat mass, which excludes the possible effect of LH; this result affirmed that FSH is responsible for weight gain and fat accumulation.
Too much or too little FSH can cause a variety of problems, including infertility (the inability to get pregnant), menstrual difficulties in women, low sex drive in men, and early or delayed puberty in children.
Through high–affinity receptors, some of which are variants of the ovarian FSH receptor (FSHR), FSH regulates bone mass, adipose tissue function, energy metabolism, and cholesterol production in both sexes.
Specifically, FSH stimulates follicles on the ovary to grow and prepare the eggs for ovulation. As the follicles increase in size, they begin to release estrogen and a low level of progesterone into your blood. Ovulation is a phase in the menstrual cycle. It occurs on about day 14 of a 28-day menstrual cycle.
The FSH level is actually fairly easy to lower medically (with estrogen, the birth control pill, Lupron, etc.), but the underlying problem (diminished ovarian reserve) that causes the elevated FSH cannot necessarily be “fixed.”
Elevated levels of FSH are associated with unresponsive gonads or hyperfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Low levels of FSH are associated with either hypothalamic or anterior pituitary dysfunction.
An FSH level of > 30 IU/L is consistent with the perimenopause, although FSH levels of 70-90 IU/L are not uncommon for postmenopausal women.
As the table demonstrates, normal levels of FSH go from below 7.0 mIU/mL for someone younger than 33 to over 8.5 mIU/mL for a woman over 41.
Symptoms associated with increased FSH levels in men are loss of libido, tiredness, decreased sperm count, and moodiness.
Conversely, higher FSH levels have been found to be associated with negative mood in women during the menopausal transition [12, 34].
High levels of daily pressure have been associated with a decrease in the levels of estrogen, progesterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), as well as with high levels of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
Experienced during early perimenopause, some women may initially have high levels of oestradiol in response to higher FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) levels. High oestradiol levels can cause not just bloating, but breast tenderness and swelling also.
Weight gain and fluctuations in weight can happen for a variety of reasons. Many people progressively gain weight as they age or make changes to their lifestyle. However, fast weight gain can be a sign of an underlying health condition, such as a problem with the thyroid, kidneys, or heart.
Estrogen
High levels of estrogen in the body can irritate the cells that produce insulin in your body, making you insulin resistant and blood sugar levels rise, leading to weight gain.
As the number of follicles drops, the level of FSH increases. The most common reason for very high FSH levels is that you are beginning menopause. Because you have fewer remaining follicles, your body produces less of a hormone called Inhibin B, which is responsible for keeping FSH levels down.
Estrogen levels continued to decline and FSH levels continued to rise during menopause and early postmenopause, according to a 3-year observational study of 3,257 perimenopausal women conducted by the Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) (Randolph et al., 2004).
The tests could tell you whether you have elevated FSH levels and might be in perimenopause or menopause. But, since FSH levels rise and fall during the course of your menstrual cycle, home FSH tests can't really tell you whether or not you're definitely in a stage of menopause.
Most women with a high FSH have very regular periods. There is a misconception that high FSH or diminished ovarian reserve are associated with irregular periods. Most women with elevated FSH have no symptoms and are not aware of their condition.
Eating a diet high in soy can help lower FSH levels. Taking large amounts of its proteins and isoflavones with the diet were found to lower FSH and increase estrogen levels in a meta-analysis of 47 studies [25].
Researchers found that a hormone called FSH can act on neurons in the brain and increase the production of proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Blocking FSH reduced Alzheimer's symptoms in mice, suggesting a new approach to developing treatments for the disease.
There are many causes for high FSH levels. These include: Stress — when your cortisol levels become too high, this can lead to other hormonal imbalances.
It is unlikely that FSH contributes directlyto depressive symptoms, but, as a marker of ovarian aging, these results providecorroborating hormonal evidence that menopausal status is associated withthe dysphoric mood observed in menopausal transition.