A surge rather than a level — one of the few endocrine signals whose meaning is written entirely in its shape over time.
Identity
- Class
- Glycoprotein hormone (α/β heterodimer)
- Source
- Anterior pituitary gonadotrophs
- Receptor
- LH/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR)
Key properties
Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.
Mechanism
Driven by GnRH pulses, LH triggers ovulation in females and stimulates gonadal steroid (testosterone, estrogen) production in both sexes. It shares an alpha subunit with FSH, TSH, and hCG; its beta subunit confers specificity.
Reference notes
- LH and hCG act on the same receptor (LHCGR), so hCG can substitute for an LH signal.
- The glycoprotein hormones share an alpha subunit; the beta subunit sets identity.
- The mid-cycle LH surge is the immediate trigger for ovulation.
Regulatory status
United States · reviewed September 2026- Basis
- Lutropin alfa (Luveris) approved for ovarian stimulation; LH activity is now mostly supplied via hCG or menotropins.
Status describes the molecule as a drug substance under US law and is an editorial reading of the public record — approvals, trial registrations, and the FDA 503A bulk-substances list. It is not legal advice and it changes; the review date above is the last time the table was checked. Other jurisdictions are noted only where they differ materially.
Common questions
- What is Luteinizing hormone (LH)?
- Triggers ovulation and gonadal steroidogenesis. Structurally it is Glycoprotein hormone (α/β heterodimer).
- How does LH work?
- Driven by GnRH pulses, LH triggers ovulation in females and stimulates gonadal steroid (testosterone, estrogen) production in both sexes. It shares an alpha subunit with FSH, TSH, and hCG; its beta subunit confers specificity.
- How strong is the evidence for LH?
- PeptideHormone grades LH at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
- What is the half-life of LH?
- The reported circulating half-life of LH is ~20 min.
- Is LH FDA-approved?
- Yes — as of September 2026, LH is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Lutropin alfa (Luveris) approved for ovarian stimulation; LH activity is now mostly supplied via hCG or menotropins. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.
In the literature
Live registry counts · retrieved- Ph 124
- Ph 258
- Ph 356
- Ph 461
Searched as Luteinizing hormone, LH. Counts are search hits from the primary registries, not a curated set and not a grade – a measure of how much work exists on LH, not how it turned out.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.The Roles of Luteinizing Hormone, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Testosterone in Spermatogenesis and Folliculogenesis Revisited · International journal of molecular sciences, 2021 · PMID 34884539
- 2.A Comprehensive Review of Estradiol, Progesterone, Luteinizing Hormone, and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone in the Context of Laboratory Medicine to Support Women's Health · Clinical chemistry, 2025 · PMID 40247783
External references
LH in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.