| Disease | Injury | Nutrition | Poison |
| Special Topic | Surgery | Symptoms | Test |
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LH urine test/home test |
| Definition: |
| A urine test that detects LH levels above a certain threshold. |
| Alternative Names: |
| Luteinizing hormone urine test; Ovulation prediction test; Urinary immunoradiometric assays (IRMA) |
| How the test is performed: |
| Urine is collected -- but the first urine of the day should not be used for this test. A sample of the urine is then applied to the test kit. |
| Why the test is performed: |
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The test is done to determine the time of ovulation and is also used to adjust doses of certain medications.
The anterior pituitary gland secrets gonadotropins (LH is one of these) which stimulate the ovary to prepare a follicle to release an egg. Once the follicle that will ovulate has matured, a dramatic rise in LH levels ("surge") signals the ovary to release the ovum (egg). Ovulation typically occurs 10-12 hours after the peak of a LH surge. |
| Normal Values: |
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Most test kits can detect urinary LH levels as low as 20-40 IU/L. A LH "surge" is detected if the urinary LH is above the threshold. However, variations between different urinary LH kits are common. Check with the manufacturers to find out the detection limit of their kits in IU/L.
Note: IU/L = international units per liter |
| Special considerations: |
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Drugs that can decrease LH measurements include estrogens, progesterone and testosterone. Estrogens and progesterone may be found in birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy.
While it would seem that knowing the exact time of ovulation would increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant, research finds that Home Urinary LH tests are not any more likely to help a woman get pregnant than charting her basal body temperature during initial attempts to induce ovulation with clomiphene citrate. |
Reviewed By: Peter Chen, M.D., Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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