Control of FSH and LH
At the pituitary, GnRH stimulates the synthesis and secretion of the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). These processes are controlled by the size and frequency of GnRH pulses, as well as by feedback from androgens and estrogens. Low-frequency GnRH pulses lead to FSH release, whereas high-frequency GnRH pulses stimulate LH release.
There are differences in GnRH secretion between females and males. In males, GnRH is secreted in pulses at a constant frequency, but, in females, the frequency of the pulses varies during the menstrual cycle, and there is a large surge of GnRH just before ovulation.
GnRH secretion is pulsatile in all vertebrates, and is necessary for correct reproductive function. Thus, a single hormone, GnRH1, controls a complex process of follicular growth, ovulation, and corpus luteum maintenance in the female, and spermatogenesis in the male.
Read more about this topic: Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone
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