What do prolactin levels tell you?

What Prolactin Levels Tell You
Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It plays a crucial role in various bodily functions, particularly related to reproductive health and lactation.
Prolactin Levels and Their Significance:
– Normal Levels: In non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding adults, normal prolactin levels typically range from 2 to 20 ng/mL for men and 2 to 29 ng/mL for women.
– High Prolactin Levels (Hyperprolactinemia): Elevated prolactin levels can indicate a variety of health conditions, including:
– Pituitary Disorders: A pituitary tumor called a prolactinoma, which can cause excessive prolactin production.
– Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid gland can lead to high prolactin levels.
– Kidney or Liver Disease: Impaired kidney or liver function can result in elevated prolactin levels.
– Medications: Certain medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and blood pressure drugs, can increase prolactin levels.
– Symptoms of High Prolactin: High prolactin levels can cause a range of symptoms, including irregular menstrual periods, infertility, breast milk production (galactorrhea) in non-breastfeeding individuals, and sexual dysfunction.
– Low Prolactin Levels: Low prolactin levels are less common and can be associated with conditions like pituitary gland dysfunction or severe malnutrition.
Prolactin’s Role in Lactation and Reproduction:
– Lactation: Prolactin is essential for the production and maintenance of breast milk. Levels of prolactin rise during pregnancy and peak after childbirth to support breastfeeding.
– Reproduction: Prolactin plays a crucial role in regulating the menstrual cycle and fertility in women. It can also affect sexual function in both men and women.
In summary, prolactin levels provide valuable insights into various health conditions, particularly those related to the pituitary gland, thyroid, and reproductive system. Measuring and monitoring prolactin levels can help healthcare professionals diagnose and manage a range of hormonal imbalances and related disorders.

Can you have high prolactin and not have a tumor?

If no tumor is detected and there is no other apparent cause of the high prolactin level (such as a medication), a pituitary tumor is still the most likely cause, particularly in women. In this case, the tumor is probably too small to be seen on the scan.

What level of prolactin indicates PCOS?

If the prolactin level was equal to or less than 25 ng/ml, the patient was classified in the PCOS group with a normal range of prolactin. In the case of prolactin level above 25 ng/ml, after recheck, the level of prolactin was measured by PEG (polyethylene glycol)-precipitation method to exclude macroprolactinemia.

What are the symptoms of high prolactin levels in females?

Symptoms include irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, menopausal symptoms (hot flashes and vaginal dryness), and, after several years, osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of the bones). High prolactin levels can also cause milk discharge from the breasts.

How do you fix high prolactin levels?

The most commonly used medicines are cabergoline and bromocriptine. Your doctor will start you on a low dose of one of these medications and slowly increase the dose until your prolactin levels go back to normal. Treatment continues until your symptoms lessen or you get pregnant (if that is your goal).

What does it mean when your prolactin level is high?

•Condition in which levels of the hormone prolactin are higher than normal. •Symptoms include milky nipple discharge and menstrual irregularities in women, erectile dysfunction in men. •Treatment includes medications, surgery, radiation therapy. •Involves endocrinology, endocrine surgery.

What level of prolactin indicates a tumour?

Tests for prolactinomas
We can also detect other pituitary hormonal changes. A normal prolactin level is less than 20 nanograms per milliliter. A prolactin level of more than 150-200 nanograms per milliliter usually signals a prolactinoma.

Does prolactin cause weight gain?

PRL excess is known to promote weight gain, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and impairment in gluco-insulinemic and lipid profiles, likely due to the suppression of physiologic dopaminergic tone.

Does high prolactin cause belly fat?

Hyperprolactinemia results in impaired body composition with greater waist circumference, body weight and BMI, and increased body fat percentages only in men. An improvement in body weight and BMI is possible by normalizing PRL levels, although after long-term therapy.

What are the psychological symptoms of high prolactin levels?

Overall, the results suggest that prolactin is associated with specific psychological symptoms including somatization, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation and psychoticism, especially in females, rather than a general indication of depressive symptom severity, and may represent a transdiagnostic hormonal phenotype.

What level of prolactin is concerning?

Prolactin levels above 25 ng/mL, in women who are not pregnant, are considered elevated. Because each individual experiences daily variations in prolactin levels, it may be necessary to repeat the blood test if levels of the hormone are only slightly elevated.