LH-RH TEST

Purpose

Pituitary stimulation with gonadoliberin or LH-RH.
Measures pituitary stocks of FSH, LH and the gonadotropin alpha sub-unit.

Product

LH-RH (Stimu-LH®, 50 µg vials), Laboratoires Ferring SAS.

Dose

• Adults: 100 µg.
• Children: 100 µg/m2 body surface area (do not exceed 100 µg).

Protocol

In pre-menopausal women, this challenge is usually performed in the follicular phase, between d2 and d5 of the cycle.

• Sample (dry or EDTA tubes) at T-15 and T0.
• Intravenous injection of the correct dose of LH-RH.
• Samples (dry or EDTA tubes) T+15, T+30, T+60 and T+120 min after the injection of LH-RH.

Samples

After centrifugation, draw off the serum and plasma, and store at +4°C. The samples for alpha sub-unit assays should be frozen.

Assays

FSH, LH and/or the alpha sub-unit.

Contraindications

Pregnancy

Comments

This LH-RH test could be performed in conjunction with:

• a TRH test,
• an insulin hypoglycaemia test (in which case it should be performed in the morning because the subject must always be fasting) with or without an arginine test,
• with an arginine test. The LH-RH test should not be carried out immediately after Synacthen® test. A minimum of 12 hours is required.