High prolactin levels symptoms

How to lower prolactin? What causes an elevated prolactin level? What are the side effects of high prolactin?

Prolactin is a hormone that is responsible for breast development and milk production in women. An abnormality in prolactin levels can be the result of several factors such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, and an effect of antipsychotic medication.

When there is an excess in prolactin , a person may experience certain, physical discomfort that can be mild to severe. Here are the most common. Prolactin levels are normally elevated in pregnant and nursing women.

If you are pregnant and have a large prolactinoma, these high levels of estrogen may cause tumor growth and associated signs and symptoms , such as headaches and changes in vision. If you have prolactinoma and you want to become or are already pregnant, talk to your doctor. Hyperprolactinaemia is the presence of abnormally high levels of prolactin in the blood.

Women with prolactinoma symptoms may need the test.

Prolactinoma is a noncancerous tumor on the pituitary gland that produces high levels of prolactin. The main function of prolactin is to stimulate breast milk production after childbirth, so high prolactin levels are normal in pregnancy. Prolactin also affects the levels of sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) in both women and men.

Prolactin is made by the pituitary glan a pea-sized organ found at the base of the brain. An elevated prolactin level in the blood is known as hyperprolactinemia. There are many causes of elevated prolactin levels in the body.

Generally, the symptoms are ignored. Read on to learn more about the causes of high prolactin levels. A prolactin test measures the amount of a hormone called prolactin you have in your blood.

The hormone usually rises if a woman is pregnant or has just given birth to help produce breast milk. A very high prolactin level usually means that a prolactinoma is present. However, there are other causes of raised prolactin levels.

For example, some medicines may cause high prolactin levels. As a result, ovulation may not occur at regular intervals or ovulation will take longer time to occur. In mildest cases involving high prolactin levels , the woman may ovulate regularly but will not produce enough of the progesterone hormone after ovulation.

High prolactin levels can also cause milk discharge from the breasts. Men — When a high blood prolactin concentration interferes with the function of the testicles, the production of testosterone (the main male sex hormone), and sperm production. Low testosterone causes decreased energy, sex drive, muscle mass and strength, and blood count. These may lead to infertility. There is also a higher risk of osteoporosis with higher than normal prolactin levels.

Dopamine suppresses prolactin secretion from the pituitary gland so if dopamine is blocked increases prolactin levels. Estrogen stimulates prolactin secretion as is the case in pregnancy. Various other drugs may also cause hyperprolactinemia through different pathways like increasing factors that stimulate prolactin secretion (example VIP and TRH).

Usually the prolactin level in the blood is less in men and non-pregnant women, even the prolactin level varies within the hours of a day and it depends when the blood sample is collected. The prolactin level is raising up during sleeping and it becomes higher in the morning. Symptoms of a prolactinoma relate to the high prolactin levels in the blood. Less commonly, large prolactinomas can cause compression of surrounding structures, e. Symptoms from the high prolactin levels include discharge of milk from the breast (galactorrhoea) and breast tenderness.

Since prolactin levels affect milk production and menstrual cycles, it can be difficult to detect in men. In women, a high prolactin level can cause menstrual irregularities, including cessation of menses, infertlity, discharge from breasts, decreased libido, and mood swings. If untreate patients with high prolactin can also develop a decrease in the.

This can change or stop ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). It can also lead to irregular or missed periods. Other drugs that can cause mild elevations of prolactin levels include estrogens and verapamil, a drug used to treat high blood pressure. Some women have high prolactin levels without any symptoms. In women, high blood levels of prolactin usually interfere with ovulation, causing infertility and changing menstruation.

In some women, periods may disappear altogether whereas in others, periods become irregular, or menstrual flow may change noticeably. Women who are not pregnant or nursing may begin producing breast milk.