If prolactin is elevated in women? Symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment - keep in touch!

Irregular menstruation, decreased libido, frequent problems with hair and skin, infertility - this is how the increased content of prolactin in women manifests itself.

What is this hormone?

It is produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Prolactin stimulates the development and growth of mammary glands in young girls and controls the production of milk during lactation in women. During pregnancy, sleep, stress and in the presence of certain diseases (liver or lungs) there is an increased secretion of prolactin. The hormone participates in the regulation of water-salt metabolism, prolongs the phase of the yellow body and actively suppresses hormones stimulating ovulation during lactation. 30 ng / ml or 600 mU / L is the normal level of prolactin in the blood. In certain cases, it may increase, thereby causing hyperprolactinemia.

If prolactin is elevated in women

Symptoms of this disorder in the body are obvious:

• Infertility.
• Hirsutism - the hair begins to grow in the okolososovoy zone, on the white line of the abdomen and face.
• A clear violation of the menstrual cycle.
• Significant decrease in libido.
• Galactorrhea - discharge of milk with slight pressure.
• Acne.
• Visual disturbances. The pituitary tumor is the reason that prolactin is elevated in women.
• Symptoms of secondary osteoporosis as a consequence of decreased bone tissue density.
• Obesity as a result of increased appetite.

Causes

1. Physiological. The content of this hormone in the blood can affect pregnancy, increased physical activity, lactation, intimacy. With some surgical interventions (frequent curettage of the uterus), prolactin is elevated in women. Symptoms of the physiological causes of an increase in the level of a given hormone in the blood are described above.
2. Iatrogenic. Drugs are often the cause of hyperprolactinaemia. Among them: estrogens in increased dosage, oral contraceptives, antidepressants, antihypertensives, antipsychotics.
3. Pathological. Some diseases of the body also provoke a high content of the hormone. For example, liver failure, thyroid gland diseases, radioactive irradiation, liver cirrhosis, pituitary tumor and its compression, tuberculosis, polycystic ovary syndrome. Elevated prolactin is often observed in people suffering from chronic shortnesses, frequent stressful conditions.

Effects

Violation of the level of prolactin in the blood makes it impossible to conceive. Its high content in the body inhibits the synthesis of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones responsible for ovulation.

Diagnostics

If prolactin is elevated in women, the symptoms are similar to those listed above, then the doctor is required to conduct a thorough examination and find out the family and life history. The doctor will ask the patient about the thyroid gland diseases, operations on the pituitary gland, thorax and ovaries. In addition, he will clarify the presence of bouts of insomnia and depression, pathological fractures. For accurate diagnosis, carry out:

• Ultrasound examination of the liver, thyroid gland, kidneys, mammary glands, ovaries;
• X-ray and MRI of the skull in order to identify pathologies of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, the same procedures for the bones of the skeleton;
• blood chemistry;
• Analysis for prolactin.

Treatment

If there is no pituitary tumor, doctors use conservative treatment. The most commonly used drugs are "Bromricrytin" and "Dostinex." Remember that if prolactin is elevated in women, the symptoms are similar to those listed above, then only a qualified specialist can diagnose and treat. Be healthy!