Hormones
Normal LH Levels: The Ranges by Sex and Cycle Day
Reviewed by a qualified clinician · analysed at UKAS-accredited UK labs (ISO 15189)
Last reviewed August 20266 min read
Every Helvy guide is written by our health editors, then checked by a qualified clinician before it goes live and re-checked as the science moves. We name clinical roles, not individuals, until each reviewer has agreed to be credited publicly. This is wellness guidance to help you understand your own data, not a diagnosis.
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A normal LH depends on your sex and, for women, the day of your cycle. One NHS lab reports 2 to 12 IU/L for men, 2 to 10 in the follicular phase, 20 to 60 at mid-cycle, 4 to 14 in the luteal phase, and above 20 after menopause.
Not sure which markers you need? Build your test →Your LH comes back at 38. The range on the report says 2 to 10, so it looks alarming. Then you check the date you gave your sample and it was day 14.
That number is not a problem. It is ovulation. LH is the one hormone on a standard panel where the day you tested matters more than almost anything else about you.
1. What is a normal LH level in the UK?
LH stands for luteinising hormone. It is made by your pituitary, a small gland at the base of your brain, and it tells the ovaries or the testes what to do. North West London Pathology publishes these adult ranges.
| Group | Reference range |
|---|---|
| Men | 2 to 12 IU/L |
| Women, follicular phase | 2 to 10 IU/L |
| Women, mid-cycle | 20 to 60 IU/L |
| Women, luteal phase | 4 to 14 IU/L |
| Women, after menopause | Above 20 IU/L |
Under-20s have their own ranges, and the lab reports those case by case. Labs differ a little, so read your number against the range printed on your own report. Our guide to blood test reference ranges explains why those bands move between labs.
2. Why the day you test changes the answer
Look at the table again. The mid-cycle band is six times the follicular one. That is not lab noise. It is a real, brief spike, and it is the event the whole cycle turns on.
“In women, the mid-cycle surge is essential for ovulation.”
— North West London Pathology, NHS
The surge lasts a day or two. Sample inside it and LH looks high. Sample either side and it looks ordinary. Neither reading is wrong. They are answering different questions.
This is why hormone panels ask which cycle day you sampled on. Day 2 to day 5, counting the first day of your period as day one, is the usual window for a baseline. Our guide on when to take a hormone blood test covers the timing in full.
Men have it easier. LH does not run on a monthly cycle, though it is released in pulses through the day, so single readings still bounce around a little.
3. What a high LH result means
A high LH usually means the pituitary is shouting because the ovaries or testes are not responding as loudly as they used to. The gland turns the volume up, so the signal reads high while the sex hormones read low or normal.
The common reasons, before anyone reaches for a rare one:
- You sampled at mid-cycle. Check the date first. It explains more high readings than anything else.
- Menopause or perimenopause. LH and FSH both climb as the ovaries wind down.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome. LH is often raised relative to FSH, though that pattern is not how the condition is identified.
- A testicular cause in men. High LH with low testosterone points the investigation at the testes rather than the pituitary.
Our PCOS blood test guide covers the markers a clinician actually uses, and perimenopause blood tests covers the transition years.
4. What a low LH result means
A low LH means the signal itself is quiet. If sex hormones are low too, the question moves upstream to the pituitary rather than the ovaries or testes.
Things that quieten the signal include heavy training with too little food, rapid weight loss, sustained stress, and some medicines. Anabolic steroids and testosterone replacement suppress LH strongly, because added testosterone tells the pituitary to stop asking.
That last point matters for men on treatment. Our guide to TRT and fertility explains why suppressed LH is the mechanism behind the fertility question, and male fertility blood tests covers the wider set.
5. LH and FSH, read together
LH almost never gets measured alone. FSH is its partner, made by the same gland, and the pair move together in most situations. Where they move apart is where the information is.
Both high, in a woman over 45 with symptoms, fits the menopause transition. Both low, with low oestrogen or low testosterone, points at the pituitary. LH high with FSH ordinary is the pattern often described in PCOS.
One caution about menopause specifically. NICE guidance on menopause diagnosis and management advises against relying on hormone blood tests to identify menopause in women over 45. Symptoms and cycle history carry more weight than a number does.
Our FSH levels by age guide covers the other half of the pair decade by decade.
6. Which blood test reports your LH
The marker is LH, reported in IU/L. If you have cycles, note the day you sampled on. Without that, the range on the report cannot be applied to your number.
Helvy's Hormone Balance panel (£99) reports LH with FSH, SHBG, total testosterone and the free androgen index. The kit tells you which days to test, and the report reads your values against the day you sampled.
For men, the Complete Male Hormones panel (£119) reports LH with FSH, testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, prolactin, DHEA-S and albumin. That is the set that separates a testicular cause from a pituitary one.
One honest limit. Neither panel includes oestradiol or progesterone. If your clinician wants oestrogen tracked directly, that is not part of these tests. To pick your own markers, the build-my-test tool walks you through it.
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See your LH next to the hormones it controls
Helvy's home blood tests report LH with FSH, SHBG and testosterone, read against the cycle day you sampled on. Samples are processed by UKAS-accredited UK labs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal LH level for a woman?
It depends on the day. North West London Pathology reports 2 to 10 IU/L in the follicular phase, 20 to 60 at mid-cycle, 4 to 14 in the luteal phase, and above 20 after menopause.
What is a normal LH level for a man?
Roughly 2 to 12 IU/L. There is no cycle to allow for, but LH is released in pulses through the day, so two samples taken hours apart will not match exactly.
Is an LH of 30 high?
Check the cycle day before anything else. At mid-cycle, 30 sits inside the ovulation range. On day 3, the same number is well above the follicular band and worth a GP conversation.
What day of your cycle should LH be tested?
Day 2 to day 5 for a baseline, counting the first day of your period as day one. Testing around day 14 measures the ovulation surge instead, which is a different question.
Does a high LH to FSH ratio mean PCOS?
No. A raised LH relative to FSH is a pattern often seen in PCOS, but it is not how the condition is identified and plenty of people with PCOS do not show it. Take the results to your GP.
Can LH blood tests confirm menopause?
Not on their own. NICE advises against relying on hormone blood tests to identify menopause in women over 45. Symptoms and cycle history carry more weight than a single hormone reading.
Why is my LH low?
Heavy training with too little food, rapid weight loss, sustained stress and some medicines all quieten the signal. Testosterone replacement and anabolic steroids suppress it strongly.
Related guides
LH and FSH Blood Test UK
What the pair measure, and when the test is worth doing.
FSH Levels by Age UK
The other half of the pair, decade by decade.
When to Take a Hormone Blood Test
Cycle day, time of day, and why both change the number.
PCOS Blood Test UK
The markers a clinician actually uses, and the ones they do not.
Menopause Blood Test UK
What hormone tests can and cannot tell you after 45.
SHBG Levels by Age UK
The carrier protein that changes what your testosterone means.