Whether you are hoping to become pregnant or are already expecting, understanding how your body works is key to a successful and healthy pregnancy. One of the hormones that can give us important insights into our reproductive health is luteinizing hormone (LH). It plays an essential role in the ovulation process, and its presence or absence can tell us a great deal about our reproductive status. This blog post will explore the question, “Does LH surge stay high if pregnant?” We will look at the role of LH within the menstrual cycle, when and why LH levels may change, and what this means for women who are trying to conceive or who have already conceived. We will also explore the ways in which health care providers might use LH levels to measure the progress of a pregnancy. Ultimately, this post will help you better understand the impact of LH levels on a woman’s fertility and pregnancy.
Can ovulation tests detect the pregnancy hormone, HCG?
The quick response is that because LH and hCG share a lot of molecular similarities, ovulation tests can (sort of) function as pregnancy tests. Your hCG levels will be significantly higher than normal if you are pregnant, and an ovulation test may mistakenly detect this and read it as a high LH value. That being said, pregnancy tests are much more accurate and cannot be replaced by ovulation tests.
You can determine when you will ovulate by taking an ovulation test. This is crucial because eggs only survive for up to 24 hours after being released. To increase your chances of becoming pregnant if you’re trying to conceive, you should engage in sexual activity prior to ovulation. Since sperm can live for five to six days inside the female reproductive tract and are relatively hardy, if you have sex before ovulation, they will wait for their chance to strike until then.
Ovulation tests come in a variety of forms, but they all function in essentially the same way: by looking for the hormone luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. To signal to your ovaries that it is time to release an egg, your brain produces LH. The most likely time for conception is 12 to 24 hours before ovulation, so this is convenient.
How do the hormones LH and hCG differ?
Both hCG and LH bind and function through a common hCG/LH receptor. The biggest difference between the two is that hCG has a circulating half-life that is approximately 80-fold longer than that of LH. One study refers to hCG as a “super LH produced in pregnancy,” with 80 times the biological activity of LH.
An ovulation test cannot differentiate between LH and hCG in your urine because the protein components of both hormones have a similar appearance. A positive OPK result will therefore be obtained if either hormone is present in sufficient quantities in your urine.
What are my LH levels if I’m not pregnant?
LH levels do not look the same across all people and all cycles. Every woman is different and research shows that there may actually be many different LH surge patterns. Healthy LH levels fluctuate throughout both the life cycle and throughout the menstrual cycle.
During ovulation, LH levels in menstruating individuals typically range from 5 to 25 IU/L and higher. After several tests, you ought to be able to spot a spike in your LH levels and start to notice a pattern.
FAQ
Will LH surge show if pregnant?
How long does LH stay elevated after conception?
Does LH go up during implantation?