What is the Origin of Follicle Stimulating Hormone Attenuation?

This is a term rooted in reproductive and clinical endocrinology. Follicle-Stimulating Hormone is one of the two key gonadotropins, and "attenuation" comes from the Latin attenuare, meaning to make thin or weaken. The phrase precisely describes the diminished functional output of this essential pituitary hormone due to external factors.

What is the Mechanism of Follicle Stimulating Hormone Attenuation?

Exogenous androgens and estrogens exert negative feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary unit, decreasing the pulsatile release of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH). This reduction in GnRH stimulation directly leads to the decreased synthesis and release of FSH from the gonadotroph cells of the pituitary. The resultant low circulating FSH levels diminish its signaling to the Sertoli cells in the testes or the granulosa cells in the ovaries, thereby reducing gamete maturation and contributing to the reproductive potential cost of therapy.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone Attenuation ∞ Area

Follicle Stimulating Hormone Attenuation

Meaning

The clinical phenomenon of a reduced or blunted secretion of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) from the anterior pituitary gland, typically observed as a consequence of negative feedback from exogenous sex steroids. This attenuation is a key indicator of iatrogenic endocrine axis suppression and is directly responsible for the reduction in spermatogenesis in males and follicular development in females during hormonal therapy. Monitoring FSH levels provides a critical measure of the degree of HPG axis inhibition.