Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Determination of Reproductive Competence by Confirming Pubertal Onset and Performing a Fertility Assay in Mice and Rats
Published on: October 13, 2018
The Role of Urinary LH and FSH in the Diagnosis of Pubertal Disorders
Manoranjan Tripathy1, A K Baliarsinha1, A K Choudhury1
1Department of Endocrinology, SCB MCH, Cuttack, Odisha, India.
Background:
Various hormonal parameters used to differentiate between different causes of pubertal disorders are invasive, cumbersome, and has variable sensitivity and specificity. Thus, the use of a noninvasive test like urinary gonadotropin for the diagnosis of pubertal disorders will offer a significant advantage.
Objective:
To study the role of urinary gonadotropins (uLH, uFSH) for the diagnosis of various pubertal disorders and in the monitoring of Gonadotrophin releasing hormone, Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (GnRHa) therapy in patients with central precocious puberty (CPP).
Materials And Methods:
We evaluated 35 healthy children and 96 patients with disorders of puberty out of which 31 cases had early puberty and 65 cases had delayed puberty. We used Spearman's correlation coefficient to evaluate the correlation between the serum and urinary gonadotropins. We used Mann-Whitney U test (for 2 groups) and Kruskal-Wallis test (for > 2 groups) to compare the median urinary and serum gonadotropins of different groups.
Results:
The urinary gonadotropins correlated strongly with serum gonadotropins in both healthy controls and individuals with pubertal disorders. The uLH level of ≥0.76 IU/L had 100% sensitivity and specificity to differentiate CPP from peripheral precocious puberty, whereas uLH level of ≥1.07 IU/L had 100% sensitivity and specificity for differentiating CPP from PT. In patients with delayed puberty, uFSH of ≥20.51 IU/L had 94.7% sensitivity and 91.3% specificity for the diagnosis of Hyper-Hypo cases and uLH level of ≥0.5 IU/L had sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 85% to differentiate constitutional delay in growth and puberty from hypogonadotropic-hypogonadism. In CPP patients on GnRHa therapy, the uLH level of ≥0.13 IU/L had 100% sensitivity and 86.7% specificity to identify those who had nonsuppressed serum LH levels.
Conclusion:
The urinary gonadotropins can be used as a reliable noninvasive test for the diagnosis of various pubertal disorders and also for monitoring of CPP patients on GnRHa therapy.
More Related Videos
05:25Ultrasonography of the Adult Male Urinary Tract for Urinary Functional Testing
Published on: August 14, 2019
05:32Author Spotlight: Investigating the Relationship Between FSH and Pathophysiological Changes in Perimenopausal Women - Insights from a Mouse Model
Published on: August 11, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:27Signs of Puberty
01:26Testosterone: Functions and Regulation
01:22Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH...
01:27Hormones of the Pituitary Gland
The most abundantly secreted hormone from the anterior lobe is the growth hormone, which controls overall growth by...
01:30Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...
01:24Gonadal and Placental Hormones
In males, testosterone is the primary gonadal androgen. It plays a central role in the maturation of male reproductive organs — the penis and testes. Additionally, testosterone is instrumental in the development of secondary sexual characteristics — a deep voice as well as facial and pubic hair...