First of all, it is worth answering the question, what is prolactin? It is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. Thanks to its action, it causes, among others, that girls’ breasts grow during puberty, also when a woman is expecting a child, the optimal concentration of prolactin maintains the proper functioning of the corpus luteum, so that it can effectively produce progesterone – to maintain pregnancy.
In addition, it stimulates the development of the mammary glands, as well as the formation of milk. Too little prolactin in the mother’s body is one of the causes of problems with breastfeeding. At the same time, when a woman breastfeeds often and for a long time, her body maintains a sufficiently high concentration of prolactin, which effectively prevents the proper maturation of ovarian follicles, and thus proper ovulation. Thanks to this, it can act as a “natural contraceptive”, but, it should be remembered, it does not provide reliable protection against another pregnancy.
Prolactin levels fluctuate, increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and fluctuate throughout the day. In the second half of the night, its concentration rises, reaches its highest level in the early morning, and then slowly decreases. During the menstrual cycle, its level increases slightly with the increase in estrogen levels, and decreases in the second half of the cycle, it also increases after a heavy meal, physical exercise, during intercourse or in response to stress.
Both too high and too low levels are the causes of many ailments, at best slightly troublesome. Its too high level leads to problems related to the breasts, they become swollen, painful and sensitive to the touch, at the same time it can lead to galactorrhea. Too low levels of prolactin in nursing mothers are manifested by a lack of food. So it is worth taking care of its correct level.
If you observe that menstrual disorders and breast ailments persist for a long time, you should visit a gynecologist – endocrinologist, who in turn will order prolactin blood tests.
There is no single method of lowering high levels of prolactin in the body. However, we can try to minimize such risk, so below you will find the main factors affecting the level of prolactin concentration, some of which can be avoided or minimized: Taking medications for a long time, e.g. be the cause, the same applies to chronic kidney failure, liver disease, pituitary adenoma, as well as chronic stress.
So remember to take care of your health first, followed by medical check-ups that will allow for quick assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ailments.