The gradual increase in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations in women approaching menopause results from the depletion of the ovarian follicular pool, a process referred to as 'ovarian ageing'. This study investigates whether variable endogenous FSH concentrations, as have been observed in normo-ovulatory young women, are related to menstrual cycle characteristics, including predic...

Protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in gonadotrophin-induced oocyte maturation. In the present study, we investigated the role of specific PKC isoforms in the process of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-induced oocyte meiotic resumption. Small antral follicles (200-300 µm in diameter) were isolated from immature mice and cultured in vitro. FSH significantly induced follicle-enclosed oocytes (F...

Total concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were evaluated in daily urine samples from conceptive and nonconceptive menstrual cycles by measurement of the FSH beta subunit following treatment of the samples to dissociate the FSH heterodimer. Samples were self-collected by normal subjects during cycles in which daily blood samples also were obtained. Daily blood and urine specimen...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate whether FSH administration to the male partner of infertile couples improves pregnancy rate, spontaneously and/or after assisted reproductive techniques (ART). METHODS Meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials in which FSH was administered for male idiopathic infertility, compared with placebo or no treatment. Randomization w...

PPARgamma is highly expressed in granulosa cells by 23 days post-partum (pp) and is down-regulated in response to the LH surge. We tested the hypothesis that high levels of FSH during the neonatal period trigger the expression of PPARgamma. To determine when PPARgamma expression is initiated, ovaries were collected from neonatal rats. Messenger RNA for PPARgamma was undetectable on day 1, low f...

FSH and androgen act to stimulate and maintain spermatogenesis. FSH acts directly on the Sertoli cells to stimulate germ cell number and acts indirectly to increase androgen production by the Leydig cells. In order to differentiate between the direct effects of FSH on spermatogenesis and those mediated indirectly through androgen action, we have crossed hypogonadal (hpg) mice, which lack gonado...

The FSH receptor shows three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), one in the promoter and two in exon 10. In addition, the FSH receptor mRNA undergoes extensive alternative splicing. While no physiological role for the SNP in the promoter and for alternative spliced isoforms has been demonstrated so far, the SNPs in exon 10 result in four discrete allelic variants characterized by the amino ...

BACKGROUND Detection of best predictor of ovarian reserve in patients with temporarily or consistently elevated early follicular phase serum levels of FSH is one of the most important goals in assisted reproductive technique (ART). OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether high level of anti-mullerian hormone level is related to success of ART in patients with temporarily or consistently elevated early f...

Follicle-stimulating hormone is the major regulator of growth and development of antral follicles in the ovary. Granulosa cells (GCs) in these follicles are coupled via gap junctions (GJs) consisting of connexin 43 (Cx 43). Because we and others have found that Cx 43 and GJs, respectively, are more abundant in large antral follicles compared with small antral and preantral follicles, we hypothe...