Follicle-stimulating hormone

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), one of two gonadotropic hormones (i.e., hormones concerned with the regulation of the activity of the gonads, or sex glands) produced by the pituitary gland. FSH, a glycoprotein operating in conjunction with luteinizing hormone (LH), stimulates development of the graafian follicle, a small, egg-containing vesicle in the ovary of the female mammal; in the male, it promotes the development of the tubules of the testes and the differentiation of sperm. Though in...