Elevated LH levels can be a sign that you’re getting closer to menopause.
Perimenopause , the transitional period before menopause, usually happens in your late 30s to early 40s and lasts anywhere from a few to several years. This transition signals the shift leading to the end of reproductive years. All of this happens because of a few key hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH) .
During the perimenopause transition, each of these hormones fluctuates and eventually trends toward a decline or increase. The rise of luteinizing hormone specifically can help you understand whether you’ve begun perimenopause.
If you’re in your late 30s or early 40s and unsure if you’re starting perimenopause, here’s what you need to know about LH during this period and how to track it.
What is luteinizing hormone? Before we talk about what happens to luteinizing hormone during perimenopause, it’s important to remember what this hormone does in your body.
Luteinizing hormone is one of your main reproductive hormones. Secreted by the pituitary gland, LH orchestrates the menstrual cycle by triggering ovulation. About two weeks into someone’s menstrual cycle, a surge of LH causes an ovary to release an egg. If fertilization of that egg occurs, LH stimulates the production of progesterone so the pregnancy can be sustained.
Many people use the LH surge to help identify when they’re ovulating and find their fertile window .
During perimenopause, the ovaries age, impacting the regularity of ovulation. This, in turn, affects LH production, leading to fluctuations that contribute to the overall hormonal landscape of perimenopause.
LH levels during perimenopause Perimenopause is full of hormonal changes. Luteinizing hormone levels during perimenopause fluctuate and eventually rise—which means detecting a persistent elevation of LH levels can let you know that you’re close to menopause.
In the early stages of perimenopause, LH levels are variable. This is mainly due to fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone—both of which decrease over time as the ovaries produce fewer eggs. As estrogen declines, the body tends to release more LH in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries to produce more estrogen.
As you get closer to menopause, LH levels typically become more consistent, and consistently elevated. Menopause officially occurs when a woman hasn’t had a period for 12 consecutive months—and elevated levels of LH, and decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone are key indicators of this stage.
>>MORE: Learn about changes to estrogen during perimenopause and progesterone levels during perimenopause .
Monitoring LH levels, along with other hormonal markers, can be helpful in understanding and managing the changes that occur during perimenopause.
Using Oova can help you easily identify if your LH levels are fluctuating and rising. The Oova kit provides accurate, lab-quality testing at home and measures your unique hormone levels—meaning you’ll not only be able to see that your LH levels are rising, but confirm LH is higher than your typical LH level.
High LH symptoms While the best way to know whether your LH levels are rising is to take a hormone test, you may feel some impact in your body, too. Higher levels of LH during perimenopause can lead to various symptoms during this transition, from changes to your period to physical and emotional symptoms:
Irregular cycles : Changes in LH levels can lead to irregular or skipped periods, a common hallmark of perimenopause.Mood fluctuations hormonal imbalances , may result in mood swings, anxiety, or irritability, impacting emotional well-being.Fatigue : The declining levels of LH may contribute to feelings of fatigue, disrupting energy levels and potentially affecting sleep patterns.Changes in libido : Fluctuations in LH levels can influence sex drive and arousal , meaning you may feel increases or decreases in libido.LH is just one of the few hormones that changes during perimenopause, and the most common perimenopause symptoms—like hot flashes, brain fog , or weight gain —typically arise because of changes in estrogen and progesterone levels.
Luteinizing hormone during perimenopause: the bottom line LH is one of the three main hormones that fluctuates during perimenopause. As you age, your ovaries produce fewer eggs and estrogen declines; in response, your body produces more LH in an attempt to stimulate the ovaries and produce more estrogen.
Consistently higher levels of LH are a key sign that you’re getting closer to menopause. While there are some high LH symptoms like mood swings and fatigue, the best way to know if your LH levels are elevated is to test your hormones—which you can do easily and accurately at home with an Oova kit.
Understanding what’s happening with your hormones during perimenopause can help you navigate this confusing and frustrating transition, and help you make the best decisions for you and your health.
