Thyroid-stimulating hormone facts for kids

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (also known as thyrotropin, or TSH) is a hormone which stimulates the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormones, which control how fast the body's chemical functions go (the metabolic rate). Thyroid hormones influence the metabolic rate in two ways: by stimulating almost every tissue in the body to produce proteins and by increasing the amount of oxygen that cells use. Thyroid hormones affect many vital body functions.

Thyrotropin is a glycoprotein hormone synthesized and secreted by thyrotrope cells in the anterior pituitary gland, which adjusts the endocrine function of the thyroid gland.

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In Spanish: Tirotropina para niños