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Prolactin is a hormone secreted in the pituitary gland, the high level of which can lead to various health complications. This can be dangerous and may indicate serious diseases, so it is better not to delay and get tested as soon as possible.
The hormone prolactin is very important for the body of every woman. It causes, for example, that during puberty girls start to grow breasts, it also stimulates the work of the corpus luteum during pregnancy, which plays an important role in its maintenance. In addition, it is responsible for the formation of the mammary glands in a woman and the production of milk. Too low prolactin level is a common cause of lack of food in many mothers. If a woman breastfeeds for a long time and often, this hormone reaches quite high concentrations, thanks to which it can act as a natural contraceptive. This is because prolactin inhibits ovulation.
Too high prolactin level – when is it dangerous?
If you often complain about sore breasts, you have irregular periods and problems with getting pregnant, it may mean that the concentration of this hormone is too high.
Its concentration, of course, increases during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but not only then. Prolactin levels also fluctuate throughout the day. It is highest in the early morning, as it begins to rise in the middle of the night, then steadily decreases over the course of the hours. Also during the menstrual cycle, its slight increase is observed. In addition to these fluctuations independent of the woman, the level of prolactin also increases as a result of fatigue, stress, during intercourse and even after eating something.
How do you know whether to get tested?
Too high prolactin levels consist of many disturbing symptoms that can be detected quite quickly.
- First of all, there is soreness of the breasts, which become swollen and tender,
- Sometimes nipple discharge occurs even though the woman is not pregnant and not breastfeeding,
- Menstrual cycle disorders are also common, when the period occurs more often than every 25 days, or vice versa – less than 33 days,
- Sometimes menstruation disappears, which is preceded by progressively less bleeding,
- Some cycles are anovulatory, making it difficult to conceive. In addition, libido decreases, intercourse becomes painful (mainly due to the fact that the vagina becomes dry),
- It happens that there are headaches and vision problems, in addition, some people notice weight gain.
How to be treated?
If any disorders (both those related to breasts and menstruation) persist for a long time, you need to visit a gynecologist who will order a blood prolactin test. We come for the examination preferably between 8 and 12, on an empty stomach, well rested, the day before you are not allowed to eat dinner and have intercourse. It is also inadvisable to exercise a lot, i.e. exercise. If the prolactin level is too high, the doctor will order a thyroid test. If the results do not indicate hypothyroidism, the test will need to be repeated to determine whether a pituitary adenoma is the cause.