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What is Prolactin?
Prolactin is usually associated with breastfeeding—since it stimulates breast milk production. But it should have your attention, even if you aren’t breastfeeding.
Wow, what a response I had to my Instagram stories on prolactin levels. I thought I would break it down into more detail as there were so many questions.
The Role of Prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone made by our pituitary gland. Its main role is to promote lactation.
Following childbirth, prolactin helps initiate and maintain the breast milk supply. If a woman does not breastfeed, her prolactin soon drops back to low pre-pregnancy levels. If she does breastfeed, suckling by baby plays an important role in the production of prolactin. When the baby feeds, this has an effect on the amount of prolactin secreted by the pituitary, which in turn controls the amount of milk produced. The prolactin response to breastfeeding decreases over time—after months of feeding, prolactin elevation is minimally increased above pre-pregnancy levels.
High Prolactin in Non-Pregnant Women
For a non-pregnant woman, if prolactin is very high, it suppresses oestrogen—like with a hammer. Well, actually, it can suppress it. And having low oestrogen means a whole host of hormonal issues—think menopause-like symptoms:
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Hot flushes
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Dry vagina
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Low sex drive
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Weight gain
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Irregular cycles, maybe absent periods
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Breast milk leakage (with no baby!)
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The big symptom: infertility
So, I’m always shocked when prolactin isn’t checked in blood tests for someone experiencing infertility! It should be one of the first tests run.
Oestrogen plays a vital role in fertility—egg development, egg release, endometrial lining thickening, and cervical mucous production. If oestrogen is not at the right levels, these key reproductive events don’t occur properly. So, if you have any hormonal or fertility concerns, get it checked.
Causes of High Prolactin
More Common Causes:
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High stress
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Hypothalamic amenorrhoea (over-exercising, under-eating hormonal condition)
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High TSH levels (underactive thyroids)
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PCOS
Less Common Causes:
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Prolactinoma – a tumour on the pituitary gland. Almost ALWAYS benign, but an MRI is often ordered to check.
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Medications: Oestrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, and dopamine-blocking drugs.
Finding the Cause of High Prolactin
It’s not enough to know your prolactin is high. It’s necessary to find out what is driving it. For example:
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Hypothalamic amenorrhoea: Treatment involves rectifying calorie balance and reducing exercise.
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Underactive thyroid: Treatment focuses on optimising thyroid function.
There are also some brilliant herbs that can help, such as chaste tree and rhodiola.
If prolactin levels are severe enough, an endocrinologist can prescribe medication to help.
Prolactin Levels: What’s Normal?
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Normal: Anything below 600 mIU/L
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High (naturopathically speaking): Anything above 600 mIU/L
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Above 1000 mIU/L: Usually requires an MRI.
When to Get Checked
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Timing: Anytime in your cycle.
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Preparation: Avoid exercising before getting the blood test.
