Overview:
Prolactin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland. The prolactin test measures the amount of prolactin in the blood.
INTERPRETATIONS
Normal Results
The normal values for prolactin are:
- 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)
What Abnormal Results Mean
People with the following conditions may have high prolactin levels:
- Chest wall injury or irritation
- Disease of an area of the brain called the hypothalamus
- Thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism)
- Kidney disease
- Pituitary tumor that makes prolactin (prolactinoma)
- Other pituitary tumors and diseases in the area of the pituitary
Certain medicines can also raise prolactin level, including:
- Antidepressants
- Butyrophenones
- Estrogens
- H2 blockers
- Methyldopa
- Metoclopramide
- Opiate medicines
- Phenothiazines
- Reserpine
- Risperidone
- Verapamil
WHY GET TESTED?
Prolactin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland The pituitary is a small gland at the base of the brain. It regulates the body's balance of many hormones.
Prolactin stimulates breast development and milk production in women. There is no known normal function for prolactin in men.
Prolactin is usually measured when checking for pituitary tumors and the cause of:
- Breast milk production that is not related to childbirth (galactorrhea)
- Decreased sex drive (libido) in men and women
- Erection problems in men
- Not able to get pregnant (infertility)
- Irregular or no menstrual periods (amenorrhea)