What do your FSH levels mean?

The short answer

Nobody we follow has said what your FSH should be. It comes up on the shows, but never with a number.

Your lab prints 1.7–12.5 mIU/mL. That range exists to catch disease, not to describe your best.

Labs print different ranges by sex: about 1.7–12.5 mIU/mL for women and 1.5–12.4 for men.

What FSH measures

A pituitary hormone that tells the ovaries or testes to mature eggs or sperm.

It rises when the ovaries or testes stop responding. That makes it a fertility and menopause marker.

Checked against MedlinePlus — Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Levels Test.

Common questions

What is a normal FSH level?

Most US labs print 1.7–12.5 mIU/mL. Your report grades you against that range. It exists to catch disease, not to describe your best. Labs print different ranges by sex: about 1.7–12.5 mIU/mL for women and 1.5–12.4 for men.

What does your FSH number mean?

Under 1.7 mIU/mL, your report marks it low. Between 1.7 and 12.5 it prints as normal. Over 12.5, your report marks it high. Nobody we follow has drawn a line inside that range. Labs print different ranges by sex: about 1.7–12.5 mIU/mL for women and 1.5–12.4 for men.

What does the FSH test measure?

A pituitary hormone that tells the ovaries or testes to mature eggs or sperm. It rises when the ovaries or testes stop responding. That makes it a fertility and menopause marker.

Why is there no target here?

Because nobody we follow has named a number for FSH. If that changes, it will be here.