LH urine test (home test )

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Pituitary hormones

This urine test detects LH levels above a certain threshold.

Luteinizing hormone urine test (home test); Ovulation prediction test; Urinary immunoradiometric assays (IRMA)

Urine is collected. A sample of the urine is then applied to the test kit. The first urine of the day should not be used for this test.

The test is done to determine the time of ovulation and is also used to adjust doses of certain medications.

The anterior pituitary gland secretes hormones called gonadotropins (LH is one of these), which stimulate the ovary to prepare a follicle to release an egg. Once the follicle has matured, a dramatic rise in LH levels (known as the "LH surge") signals the ovary to release the egg (this is ovulation). Ovulation typically occurs 10-12 hours after the peak of the LH surge.

Review Date: 05/23/2005
Reviewed By: Sharon Roseanne Thompson, M.D., M.P.H. Clinical Fellow, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.