High prolactin or hyperprolactinemia. Infertility in women
One of the possible causes of infertility in women is hyperprolactinemia or high prolactin. It is very associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome and other physical disorders such as milk production without being pregnant, amenorrhea or other ovulation disorders. But do not worry too much, since it
One of the possible causes of infertility in women is hyperprolactinemia or high prolactin.
It is very associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome and other physical disorders such as milk production without being pregnant, amenorrhea or other ovulation disorders. But do not worry too much, since it is a hormonal alteration that usually has an easy solution and, in most cases, can be treated with medication.
Hyperprolactinemia or high prolactin and infertility in women
Prolactin is the hormone responsible for stimulating the growth of a woman's breast in pregnancy and the production of breast milk during childbirth. However, it is also a hormone that is activated with stress, with which more and more women have abnormalities in the secretion of this hormone, since the simple fact of staying pregnant can alter its proper functioning.
Hyperprolactinemia is characterized by an increase in the level of this hormone in blood, and is detected with a simple blood test, which should be repeated after 20 minutes.
Excessive prolactin in the blood can cause alterations in the menstrual cycle, disorders in ovulation, infertility and production of breast milk outside of pregnancy.
When we are not pregnant our prolactin levels are normal, but in pregnancy the pituitary, gland where it occurs, increases the production of prolactin to be able to breastfeed our baby after delivery.
Thus, prolactin prevents a new pregnancy, and is the reason why they say that when we are breastfeeding we can not get pregnant. This is not entirely true, since we can get pregnant, although less likely.
Symptoms of high prolactin
- Absence of menstruation or amenorrhea.
- Milk secretion outside of pregnancy.
- Absence of ovulation or anovulation.
- Infertility.
- Hair growth or hirsutism.
- Recurring pregnancy loss.
Causes of hyperprolactinemia
There may be different factors that alter prolactin.
1- Stress, excessive exercise or lack of sleep, besides being pregnant or breastfeeding.
2- There are also associated diseases in which it is normal for prolactin to rise, such as hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, multiple sclerosis, lupus, renal failure, liver cirrhosis, or tumors in the pituitary gland. The latter are usually the cause in 30% of cases of hyperprolactinemia, although they tend to be mostly benign.
3- Due to other medications such as those taken for high blood pressure, estrogen and medications related to dopamine secretion.
How high prolactin is treated
Treatments depend on the cause.
- If it is due to the use of medications, it is enough to stop taking them and have your doctor give you other options.
- If it is hypothyroidism, the doctor will prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone to normalize your prolactin levels. En - In other cases,
hyperprolactinemia is treated with oral medications, usually with great effectiveness. Solo - Only in extreme cases, in which tumors
in the pituitary gland reach more than 10 millimeters, is it treated with surgery or radiotherapy. If you still do not get pregnant, the best option is in vitro fertilization, which gets a high percentage of pregnancy.
