One 7.5 mL serum separator tube (SST) or one 5 mL red top tube. Also acceptable: One 4 mL lavender top tube (EDTA).
Handling:
Within one hour of collection, centrifuge and separate serum or plasma into a plastic vial. Freeze. Do not allow to thaw.
Standard Volume:
3 mL serum or plasma.
Minimum Volume:
1 mL serum or plasma.
Transport:
Frozen on dry ice.
Comments:
Patient should not be on any Steroid, ACTH, Gonadotropin, or Estrogen medications, if possible, for at least 48 hours prior to collection of specimen.
Rejection Criteria:
Thawing.
Reference Range:
Male
4.0-8.0 pg/mL
Female
2.0-10.0 pg/mL
Clinical Significance: Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Gn-RH), also known as Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone (LH-RH), is a decapeptide secreted pulsatily from the hypothalamus. It stimulates the release of the Gonadotropins – Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone – exerting a stronger effect on Luteinizing Hormone. Testosterone and Estradiol, whose release is stimulated by the Gonadotropins, exert a negative feedback control on LH-RH both at the hypothalamic site and by decreasing pituitary receptor binding. LH-RH levels are low in patients with hypothalamic hypogonadism differentiating them from the high levels usually found in primary hypopituitary hypogonadism. Accentuation of the LH-RH pulse occurs at the onset of puberty triggering the release of LH and FSH required in pubertal development. LH-RH is stimulated by Epinephrine and suppressed by Dopamine and opiates. LH-RH and some of its agonists are frequently used to induce ovulation.
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