LH Response to GnRH

What do Abnormal Results Mean?

• An excess LH response is indicative of primary gonadal failure (the problem is within the ovaries or testes).
• A reduced LH response suggests hypothalamic or pituitary disease.
• A gonadotropin deficiency can be present at birth as a congenital or hereditary disorder.
• Kallmann's syndrome is a rare congenital disease characterized by gonadotropin deficiency caused by GnRH deficiency.
• Acquired defects of GnRH production are more common (hyperprolactinemia or amenorrhea may be caused by inhibition of GnRH release, possibly mediated by increased hypothalamic dopamine or prolactin).
• Anorexia nervosa and starvation inhibit GnRH release as well.
• A gonadotropin deficiency may be a relatively early defect in patients with large pituitary adenomas (tumors).
• A gonadotropin deficiency also occurs in patients with polyglandular endocrine deficiency (presumably one of the autoimmune disorders) and in people with hemochromatosis.