Effect of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone on Ovarian Androgen Production in a Woman with Isolated Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Deficiency

Abstract
The pituitary gonadotropins luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone regulate the ovarian production of sex steroids. According to the two-cell–two-gonadotropin theory, luteinizing hormone stimulates thecal cells to produce androgens, and follicle-stimulating hormone stimulates granulosa cells to produce estrogens from androgens. Follicle-stimulating hormone is thought to have little effect on thecal-cell androgen production.1 We investigated these concepts by studying the effect of gonadotropins on ovarian steroid secretion in a woman with isolated follicle-stimulating hormone deficiency due to compound heterozygous mutations of the gene for the β-subunit of follicle-stimulating hormone.