WHAT IS ESTRADIOL (E2)?
Estradiol is the most potent of three estrogens present in the female. It is manufactured in the ovary throughout the menstrual cycle in cells called granulosa cells. Levels of E2 are normally low in the first few days of your cycle and rise to a peak at mid-cycle. As an egg develops in a follicle on the ovary, the E2 levels rise until they reach a critical level 24 to 36 hours before ovulation. Measuring E2 levels with a simple blood test tells us how well your ovaries function in a natural cycle (without ovulation drugs) or how well your ovaries respond to the drugs you are receiving. Levels will be different from day to day and from cycle to cycle. WHAT IS LH? LH or luteinizing hormone is produced in the anterior pituitary gland located in the brain. It is produced in small amounts throughout the menstrual cycle except just before ovulation when high levels of E2 trigger a large release or a surgeof this hormone. Ovulation occurs 34 to 36 hours after the onset of the LH surge. LH ca
