Luteinising hormone (LH) is a direct blood measurement of the pituitary signal that triggers ovulation and drives testosterone production in the ovaries and testes. Practitioners use it alongside FSH to locate where a hormone problem starts: the gonads, the pituitary, or suppression from medication, energy deficit or stress. Results depend on cycle day, with the mid-cycle surge reading several times higher.
| Test type | Measured in a blood sample |
|---|---|
| Measurements required | Luteinising hormone (LH) only |
| Sample and collection | Blood draw at a collection centre, timed to the cycle (day 2 to 5) if the client is cycling |
| Preparation | If you have periods, book your test for day 2 to 5 of your cycle. Day 1 is the first day of full bleeding. |
| Turnaround | About 3 to 5 business days |
| Available through | Hormone Studies. Available in: Female Hormone Health Test, Perimenopause Test, Menopause Test. |
| Pricing | Price on sign-up |
| Results | Returned in the Vively practitioner platform, beside your client's other markers |
What are the Luteinising hormone (LH) reference and optimal ranges?
| Typical lab reference | Vively optimal | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 2 to 10 IU/L | No separate optimal range |
| Women, day 2 to 5 of cycle | 2 to 7 IU/L | No separate optimal range |
| Women, post-menopause | 10 to 65 IU/L | No separate optimal range |
Labs differ, so read the result against the range printed on the client's report (RCPA guidance). LH ranges depend on cycle phase, so record the cycle day on the request.
Check a client's Luteinising hormone (LH) result
Enter the value from your client's lab report to see where it sits against the typical lab range and the Vively optimal range.
A guide only, not a diagnosis. One result is a starting point: read it with symptoms, history and a repeat test. Labs differ, so check the result against the range on your client's report. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
How do you arrange Luteinising hormone (LH) testing through Vively?
- Get verified. Practitioners with a recognised qualification or membership (ATMS, NHAA, ANTA, Dietitians Australia, NSA, CMA or Ahpra registration) can request free practitioner access.
- Choose a panel. Log in to the practitioner platform and pick a panel that includes Luteinising hormone (LH), or build your own. Add-on pricing shows when you sign up.
- Client collects. Your client collects at a partner collection centre, with their request on their phone or printed.
- Review results. Results come back to you in the practitioner platform, beside your client's other markers, ready for the follow-up consult.
Which Vively panels include Luteinising hormone (LH)?
Log in to the practitioner platform to view a panel in full, or build and save your own from 100+ tests and panels.
- Female Hormone Health Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
Two blood tests timed to the cycle, to show how hormones shift across it.
Log in to view this panel - Perimenopause Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
Two blood tests timed to the cycle: Day 2 to 5 (ideally Day 3), then around Day 21 or 7 days before the next period.
Log in to view this panel - Log in to view this panelMenopause Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
How do you read Luteinising hormone (LH) without an optimal range?
LH has no separate optimal range: it is released in pulses, so read it against FSH, oestradiol or testosterone, SHBG and cycle day.
Single values move more than most hormones, and the mid-cycle surge can reach several times the follicular level.
LH running well above FSH is often seen with PCOS, though the 2023 international guideline does not use the ratio for diagnosis because many women with PCOS have normal values.
High LH with low testosterone points to the testes, while low or normal LH points to the hypothalamus or pituitary (Endocrine Society of Australia, 2016).
What should Luteinising hormone (LH) be read with?
- ContextLH about double FSH on day 2 to 5, with raised free testosterone or low SHBG
Often seen with PCOS and commonly goes with insulin resistance, so check HOMA-IR.
- ContextMen: low testosterone, high LH
Points towards reduced testicular output (primary hypogonadism) and needs GP review.
- ContextMen: low testosterone, low or normal LH
Points towards central suppression from obesity, opioids, heavy training, illness, or current or past anabolic steroid use.
- ContextVery high LH and FSH in a cycling woman
Often a mid-cycle surge caught by timing; repeat on day 2 to 5 before reading further.
- LowLow LH and FSH, low oestradiol, absent periods
Possible hypothalamic amenorrhoea from low energy availability (REDs) or major stress.
What can affect a Luteinising hormone (LH) result?
- Sampling day: the mid-cycle surge reads several times higher than the day 2 to 5 range
- Pulsatile release: repeat a single borderline value in a man before acting on it
- The combined pill, depot progestogen, pregnancy and GnRH analogues suppress LH
- Testosterone therapy, anabolic steroids and SARMs suppress LH, often for months after stopping
- Opioids, high-dose glucocorticoids, low energy intake and acute illness lower LH
When should you refer the client to their GP?
- Men with low testosterone and either high LH or low-normal LH
- No periods for 3 months or more with low LH and FSH, or suspected low energy availability in an athlete
- LH in the post-menopausal range in a woman under 40
- Abnormal LH with headaches, visual change or nipple discharge, which can point to a pituitary cause
How should a client prepare for a Luteinising hormone (LH) test?
Copy or print this to send to your client.
Preparing for your Luteinising hormone (LH) test
- If you have periods, book your test for day 2 to 5 of your cycle. Day 1 is the first day of full bleeding.
- If you are post-menopause, you can test on any day.
- Men: book a morning collection so it can be taken with your testosterone sample.
- Tell your practitioner if you take the combined oral contraceptive pill, as it lowers LH and your result will reflect the pill.
- Take your pathology request to any of 4,000+ collection centres. Bring it printed or on your phone.
- Keep taking prescribed medicines as usual unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
- Results usually take about 3 to 5 business days and come to your practitioner. Book your results appointment for after that.
How do practitioners use Luteinising hormone (LH) with clients?
With male clients who train, ask plainly about testosterone, steroid and SARM use before reading a low LH; it is a frequent explanation and the client's GP needs to know. For cycling clients, record the cycle day on the request.
Luteinising hormone (LH) FAQs
Can a naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian order an LH test through Vively?
Yes. Add it to any client panel on the Vively practitioner platform. It sits in Hormone Studies and is also in Female Hormone Health Test, Perimenopause Test and Menopause Test. Add-on pricing shows when you sign up. No account yet? Request free access.
Is the LH to FSH ratio useful for PCOS?
Only as supporting context. LH running two to three times FSH on day 2 to 5 is often seen with PCOS, but many women with PCOS have a normal ratio. The 2023 international guideline bases diagnosis on irregular cycles, clinical or biochemical androgen excess, and ovarian morphology or AMH. Read LH with free testosterone, SHBG and HOMA-IR.
Should men have LH tested in the morning?
Yes, on the same morning sample as testosterone, ideally before 10 am. Testosterone is highest in the morning and LH is needed to read it, so pairing them on one draw makes the result interpretable. Because both vary, the Endocrine Society of Australia advises confirming low testosterone on a repeat morning sample before drawing conclusions.
Why is LH tested on day 2 to 5 of the cycle?
Because LH ranges depend on cycle phase, and the mid-cycle surge reads several times higher than the early follicular level. Day 2 to 5, with day 1 as the first day of bleeding, gives a baseline you can read against FSH. A very high LH and FSH in a cycling woman is often a surge caught by timing, so repeat on day 2 to 5 before reading further.
What does a low or normal LH with low testosterone mean in a male client?
It points to the hypothalamus or pituitary rather than the testes, often central suppression from obesity, opioids, heavy training, illness, or current or past anabolic steroid use. Ask plainly about testosterone, steroid and SARM use, since these can suppress LH for months after stopping. LH is pulsatile, so repeat a borderline value, and involve the client's GP.
References
- Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. RCPA Manual: Luteinising hormone (LH).
- Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven J, et al. Recommendations from the 2023 international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. 2023.
- Yeap BB, Grossmann M, McLachlan RI, et al. Endocrine Society of Australia position statement on male hypogonadism (part 1). Medical Journal of Australia. 2016. Source
- Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023. Source