What is the main cause of high prolactin?

Hyperprolactinemia means you have higher-than-normal levels of prolactin in your blood. The most common cause is a prolactinoma, a benign (noncancerous) tumor in your pituitary gland. Certain health conditions and medications can also cause hyperprolactinemia.

What conditions cause high prolactin?

How can prolactin be reduced?

Can you have high prolactin and not have a tumor?

“Patients with high prolactin levels who have few or no symptoms and no demonstrable pituitary tumor may not need treatment, but infertile or pregnant patients, and individuals with bothersome symptoms require specialized treatment depending on the cause of their condition,” Melmed said in a press release.

Should I be worried about high prolactin levels?

Excess prolactin can cause the production of breast milk in men and in women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. In women, too much prolactin can also cause menstrual problems and infertility (the inability to get pregnant). In men, it can lead to lower sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Hyperprolactinemia (High Prolactin Levels) | Causes, Signs

Can high prolactin be cured?

Prolactinomas can usually be treated successfully with medication alone. Medication lowers the prolactin level in the blood substantially, often to normal, and also usually reduces adenoma size.

Can I get pregnant with high prolactin?

Too much prolactin can also inhibit the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) — the hormone that stimulates the ovarian follicles to mature. Without FSH, there's no ovulation — and without ovulation, it's impossible to get pregnant.

What foods decrease prolactin?

Foods that lower prolactin levels are generally high in zinc; think shellfish, beef, turkey and beans. It's also important to get plenty of B6, so foods like potatoes, bananas, wild salmon, chicken and spinach can help boost those vitamin levels.

Does prolactin cause weight gain?

High levels of prolactin can also result in weight gain and neuropsychological disturbances.

How do you treat 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).

Can stress cause high prolactin levels?

Prolactin levels also get higher during times of physical or emotional stress. Many medicines can cause prolactin levels to go up. Tumors of the pituitary gland can sometimes cause prolactin to be made. A damaged pituitary gland may not be able to make normal amounts of prolactin so levels will be lower.

What level of prolactin indicates a tumor?

Prolactin levels are usually directly proportionate to the size of tumor ranging from below 200 ng/ml with less than 1 cm, 200 ng/ml to 1000 ng/ml with 1 cm to 2 cm and more than 1000 ng/ml with tumor sized more than 2 cm in diameter.

Does high prolactin make you tired?

Rarely, the prolactinoma may press on the rest of the pituitary gland, stopping it from producing other hormones. This can cause symptoms such as tiredness, fainting, low blood pressure, low blood sugar or collapse.

Does high prolactin affect sleep?

Prolactin (PRL) is one of the growth factors that influences sleep. It is unique as a growth-sleep factor in that its primary action is to promote rapid eye movement sleep (REMS; also called paradoxical sleep).

Does high prolactin cause hair loss?

High prolactin levels can cause hair loss in a pattern similar to female androgenetic alopecia. It does this by interfering with normal ovarian production of estrogen.

Does exercise lower prolactin?

Circulating prolactin levels increase in the blood during exercise, with the magnitude of the increase approximately proportional to the intensity of the physical activity.

Can prolactin be high without pregnancy?

Prolactin's multiple functions in the body mostly involve pregnancy and breast milk production for a newborn baby. However, prolactin can be elevated when a woman is not pregnant or breastfeeding, causing a variety of conditions that can affect normal menstrual function and fertility.

Can you have high prolactin and still ovulate?

Women with the mildest cases involving high prolactin levels may ovulate regularly but not produce enough of the hormone progesterone after ovulation. This is known as a luteal phase defect.

Does high prolactin affect egg quality?

Transient hyperprolactinemia has been proven to adversely affect the outcome of IVF, and studies have concluded that patients with normal serum prolactin levels had higher fertilization and cleavage rates [5–7].

What should your prolactin level be when trying to conceive?

Men: less than 20 ng/mL (425 µg/L) Nonpregnant women: less than 25 ng/mL (25 µg/L) Pregnant women: 80 to 400 ng/mL (80 to 400 µg/L)

Which medicine is best for high prolactin?

Is prolactinoma serious?

A prolactinoma isn't life-threatening. But it can cause vision difficulties, infertility and other problems. Prolactinoma is the most common type of hormone-producing tumor that can develop in the pituitary gland.

How does prolactin affect the body?

Prolactin promotes the growth of a certain type of breast tissue called mammary alveoli, which are the components of the mammary gland where the production of milk occurs. Prolactin also stimulates the breast alveolar cells to create milk components, including: Lactose (the carbohydrate component of milk).

What happens if a pituitary tumor goes untreated?

Most pituitary tumors are curable, but if left untreated, they can lead to serious complications such as complete vision loss.

Can prolactinoma go away?

Can it be cured? Unlike other pituitary tumors, most prolactinomas can be successfully treated medically, with either cabergoline (Dostinex®) or bromocriptine (Parlodel®). These drugs often reduce the size of the tumor and at the same time decrease the abnormally high level of prolactin in the blood very rapidly.