{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T20:33:38Z","timestamp":1790714018167,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":95,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,19]],"date-time":"2023-05-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1684454400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Merck","award":["10.13039\/100009945"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["10.13039\/100009945"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), together with luteinizing hormone (LH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), plays a fundamental role in human reproduction. The discovery of FSH and other gonadotropins was a defining moment in our understanding of reproduction and led to the development of many treatments for infertility. In this regard, exogenous FSH has been used to treat infertility in women for decades. Today, several recombinant and highly purified urinary forms of FSH are used in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). However, differences in the macro- and micro-heterogeneity of FSH result in a variety of FSH glycoforms, with glycoform composition determining the bioactivity (or potency), pharmacokinetic\/pharmacodynamic (PK\/PD) profiles, and clinical efficacy of the different forms of FSH. This review illustrates how the structural heterogeneity of FSH glycoforms affects the biological activity of human FSH products, and why potency does not predict effects in humans in terms of PK, PD, and clinical response.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms24109020","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,19]],"date-time":"2023-05-19T10:35:11Z","timestamp":1684492511000},"page":"9020","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":35,"title":["Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Biological Products: Does Potency Predict Clinical Efficacy?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9920-3208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monica","family":"Lispi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Merck Healthcare KGaA, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany"},{"name":"Unit of Endocrinology, PhD School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Humaidan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fertility Clinic at Skive Regional Hospital, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5632-7606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George R.","family":"Bousfield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"D\u2019Hooghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Merck Healthcare KGaA, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany"},{"name":"Laboratory of Endometrium, Endometriosis & Reproductive Medicine, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, CT 06510, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9532-3886","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alfredo","family":"Ulloa-Aguirre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Red de Apoyo a la Investigaci\u00f3n, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico (UNAM)-Instituto Nacional de Ciencias M\u00e9dicas y Nutrici\u00f3n SZ, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Feingold, K.R., Anawalt, B., Boyce, A., Chrousos, G., de Herder, W.W., Dhatariya, K., Dungan, K., Hershman, J.M., Hofland, J., and Kalra, S. 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