Luteinizing hormone (LH) is the hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain that helps the ovaries work. This hormone rises—and surges—to trigger ovulation. During perimenopause, levels of LH will increase, fluctuate, then remain high.
Changes in LH during perimenopause
During perimenopause, you’ll generally see three different trends of LH:
- Initial increase: Estrogen and progesterone regulate LH levels, so once estrogen and progesterone start to decline during perimenopause, LH will start to increase.
- Fluctuations: As perimenopause continues, LH will fluctuate. Surges of LH can still occur during perimenopause and will trigger ovulation. These surges are less predictable as one moves further into perimenopause towards menopause, but highlight the biggest difference between perimenopause and menopause—someone can still get pregnant during perimenopause!
- Consistently high levels: Once you’ve reached menopause (one full year without a period), LH levels will remain high because the ovaries are no longer producing estrogen and progesterone at the same levels.
LH and anovulatory cycles during perimenopause
The LH surge is what prompts your body to ovulate. During perimenopause, levels of LH fluctuate, making ovulation become less frequent. Some cycles might be anovulatory, meaning ovulation does not occur at all.
If you’re trying to get pregnant during perimenopause, tracking all LH and progesterone can help you understand if you’re ovulating and confirm ovulation. LH surges before ovulation, and progesterone rises after ovulation to help support a potential pregnancy.
Symptoms caused by LH changes during perimenopause
So we know LH will be high, then fluctuate, then become consistently high, but what might that make you feel?
There aren’t any specific symptoms caused by high or low levels of LH; however, you might experience symptoms based on the impact LH fluctuations have on estrogen and progesterone. When LH is dominating, it means there are low levels of estrogen and progesterone—which cause a variety of symptoms.
Still, there are a couple of things that can indicate the varying levels of LH effects on the body:
- Changes in cervical mucus: Cervical mucus becomes clearer, thinner, and more slippery around ovulation, which is triggered by a LH surge.
- Increased sex drive: When levels of LH are high, you may experience a higher sex drive.
- Changes in basal body temperature: A slight increase in basal body temperature can happen around ovulation, which is triggered by an LH surge.
You can record any or all of these symptoms in the Oova app in the features section.