Follicle-stimulating hormone secretion in the female rat: cyclic release is dependent on circulating androgen.

In adult cyclic female rats, intravenous injections of an antiserum to testosterone prevented the continued increase in serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) which normally occurs during the early morning hours of estrus. This treatment did not prevent the initial increases in serum FSH (and luteinizing hormone) which occur during the critical period (1400 to 2000 of proestrus), nor did it interfere with subsequent ovulation. These observations indicate the existence of two separate mechanisms for preovulatory FSH release in the rat and implicate circulating testosterone as the stimulus for continued secretion of FSH during estrus.