Alternative names for luteinising hormone Interstitial cell
stimulating hormone; luteinizing hormone; lutropin; LH. What is
luteinising hormone? Luteinising hormone is produced and
released by cells in the anterior pituitary gland; it is crucial
in regulating the function of the testes in men and the ovaries
in women. Luteinising hormone has two critical functions: the
control of sex steroid production (testosterone in men and
oestradiol in women) and the support of germ cell production
(gametogenesis). Luteinising hormone acts on specialised cells
which surround the male and female germ cells (sperm and oocyte
respectively) to provide an environment to support their
maturation and development. The local production of sex steroids
(testosterone and oestrogen) is crucial for this process. In
men, luteinising hormone stimulates Leydig cells in the testes
to produce testosterone. In addition to acting locally to
support sperm production, testosterone also exerts effects all
around the body to generate male chara