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Follicle Stimulating Hormone Output

Meaning

Follicle Stimulating Hormone Output refers to the pulsatile quantity of the glycoprotein hormone, FSH, released by the anterior pituitary gland into the systemic circulation. FSH is a critical gonadotropin, central to the complex hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in both male and female physiology. In women, its primary role is to stimulate ovarian follicle development and subsequent estrogen production; in men, it is essential for initiating and maintaining spermatogenesis within the seminiferous tubules of the testes. Clinically, measuring FSH output is a primary diagnostic tool for assessing ovarian reserve in women and testicular function in men, often indicating the body’s compensatory attempt to overcome declining gonadal function.