Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Prolactin?CausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Prolactin?
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
While hyperprolactinemia is considered normal during pregnancy and breastfeeding, it can occur at other times due to disease or medication use. Hyperprolactinemia can affect both females and males, resulting inirregular menstrual periodsanderectile dysfunction, among other things.
This article describes the causes and symptoms of hyperprolactinemia, including how this hormonal condition is diagnosed and treated.
PeopleImages / Getty Images
Prolactin, also known as lactotropin and mammotropin, is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland.
Prolactin plays many roles in the human body, although it is best known for its role in stimulating breast milk production. During the latter part of pregnancy whenprogesteronelevels start to fall, levels of prolactin will increase, causing enlargement of the mammary glands. These are the glands in the breast that produce milk.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, hyperprolactinemia is not only considered normal but essential to fetal development.
In females, prolactin is also responsible for:
What Causes Hyperprolactinemia in Females and Males?
Hyperprolactinemia can develop due to physiological, pathological, or pharmaceutical causes. In some cases, high prolactin levels are considered normal. In other cases, hyperprolactinemia is a serious medical concern.
Physiological Causes
Prolactin has a relatively short half-life, between 20 and 50 minutes, meaning that it needs to be replenished regularly to keep levels normal, Any condition that “uses up” prolactin will cause hyperprolactinemia.
There are different physiological reasons why this might occur, including:
Pathological Causes
Prolactin levels may be elevated for any number of reasons. One of the more common causes is the formation of abenign tumoron the pituitary gland. This noncancerous growth, known asprolactinoma, directly secretes excessive prolactin while suppressing estrogen and testosterone levels.
Diseases affecting a portion of the brain called thehypothalamuscan also cause hyperprolactinemia. The hypothalamus is the organ in the brain that links to the pituitary gland. An increase in prolactin can often be directly linked to a tumor, trauma, or infection of the hypothalamus.
Other causes include:
Pharmaceutical Causes
These include:
What Are the Symptoms of Hyperprolactinemia?
The symptoms of hyperprolactinemia in females can vary. When occurring outside of pregnancy or breastfeeding, they may include:
When occurring in males, the symptoms typically involve sexual dysfunction and/or pain associated with the formation of prolactinoma. Common signs and symptoms include:
Missed Symptoms
How Hyperprolactinemia Is Diagnosed
The diagnosis of hyperprolactinemia involves a routine blood test to check prolactin levels. If the levels are elevated, the doctor may want to repeat the test, this time after you fast for at least eight hours.
Normal ranges for prolactin in your blood are as follows:
Amagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)scan may be ordered to look for evidence of a pituitary growth or damage to surrounding tissues. Blood tests to evaluate other hormone levels may be useful in ruling out any other possible causes of the symptoms.
What Is the Best Treatment for Hyperprolactinemia?
The goal of treatment is to return prolactin to normal levels. There are a number of standard options to achieve this:
Summary
Hyperprolactinemia occurs when prolactin levels are high in females or males. Although high prolactin is normal during pregnancy and breastfeeding, high levels outside of pregnancy may be the result of diseases or drugs that directly or indirectly affect the pituitary gland.
Hyperprolactinemia can be diagnosed with a blood test. If high prolactin is the result of a disease, medications or surgery may be needed to correct the issue.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bernard V, Young J, Binart N.Prolactin - a pleiotropic factor in health and disease.Nat Rev Endocrinol.2019 Jun;15(6):356-365, doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0194-6National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.American Society of Reproductive Medicine.Hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels).Endocrine Society: Hormone Health Network.Hyperprolactinemia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bernard V, Young J, Binart N.Prolactin - a pleiotropic factor in health and disease.Nat Rev Endocrinol.2019 Jun;15(6):356-365, doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0194-6National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.American Society of Reproductive Medicine.Hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels).Endocrine Society: Hormone Health Network.Hyperprolactinemia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bernard V, Young J, Binart N.Prolactin - a pleiotropic factor in health and disease.Nat Rev Endocrinol.2019 Jun;15(6):356-365, doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0194-6National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.American Society of Reproductive Medicine.Hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels).Endocrine Society: Hormone Health Network.Hyperprolactinemia.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.
Bernard V, Young J, Binart N.Prolactin - a pleiotropic factor in health and disease.Nat Rev Endocrinol.2019 Jun;15(6):356-365, doi:10.1038/s41574-019-0194-6
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prolactinoma.
American Society of Reproductive Medicine.Hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin levels).
Endocrine Society: Hormone Health Network.Hyperprolactinemia.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
