FSH

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that plays a vital role in the reproductive systems of both men and women. In women, FSH helps stimulate the growth and development of follicles in the ovaries during the first half of the menstrual cycle. As follicles grow, they increase the levels of oestradiol, a hormone important for ovulation. One of these follicles eventually becomes dominant and is released during ovulation, after which FSH levels decrease in the second half of the cycle. In men, FSH acts on the seminiferous tubules of the testicles to promote the maturation of immature sperm cells into mature sperm.