At a glance
| Analyte | Follicle stimulating hormone |
|---|---|
| Also called | Follicle stimulating hormone |
| Method | Two-site sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay |
| Sample type | Serum, Plasma |
| Panel | Fertility |
| Discipline | CLIA immunoassay |
| Brand | Mindray |
What FSH measures
Follicle stimulating hormone is released by the pituitary and drives follicular development in the ovary and spermatogenesis in the testis. Its concentration in a menstruating woman changes substantially through the cycle, which means a result is uninterpretable without the day it was collected on, and fertility investigations therefore specify a sampling day rather than leaving it to the patient. FSH is measured in the assessment of infertility, in the investigation of absent or irregular periods, in suspected pituitary disease and in the assessment of ovarian reserve, where a raised level in the early follicular phase carries a particular meaning. It is generally read alongside LH.
How Philippine laboratories run it
Requested by fertility, gynaecology and endocrinology services, with volume concentrated in centres offering fertility investigation rather than spread across general laboratories. The practical issue for a Philippine laboratory is the sampling day: a specimen collected on the wrong day of the cycle produces a number that cannot be interpreted and usually has to be repeated, so the collection instruction is part of the service. Worth noting that FSH is normally read with LH, and a laboratory offering one without the other leaves the requesting clinician with half a picture.
Analyzers it runs on
Calibrator, controls and companion tests
Delivered with the rest of the fertility panel, on the same schedule as FSH.
Storage and handling
Refrigerated, upright, and not frozen.
Buying FSH in the Philippines
FSH is supplied for the CL-2600i and CL-900i. We deliver it with Estradiol and Prolactin, because a run held up waiting on a separate order costs the same shift a stock-out does. Delivery is scheduled against your monthly FSH count, so the bench is not rationing tests in the last week of the month. How we plan clia immunoassay supply.
Questions about FSH
Why does the day of the cycle matter for FSH?
Because the concentration changes substantially across a normal menstrual cycle. The same value can be entirely expected on one day and clearly abnormal on another, so a result without a collection day attached cannot be interpreted. Fertility investigations specify the sampling day for exactly this reason, and a sample taken outside it usually has to be repeated.
Do you supply LH alongside FSH?
LH is on the Mindray CL menu and is normally reported with FSH, since the two are read together in fertility and pituitary assessment. It is not yet part of the reagent range described on these pages. Ask us and we will confirm current availability, because a laboratory offering FSH without LH will find clinicians asking for both.
Order FSH
Tell us your monthly FSH volume and we will quote a supply schedule for CL-2600i. We reply within one business day.
Request a quotation