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Prolactin is a hormone formed by the pituitary gland of our body. Prolactin hormone causes the breasts of the women to grow and instructs them to produce milk during the time of pregnancy and after the birth of a child.
Normally, the level of prolactin in new mothers and pregnant women is high, and, on the other hand, prolactin level is low for non-pregnant women. The blood test to analyse the prolactin level in blood is known as the prolactin test, generally carried out in pregnant women.
Prolactin
The hormone is called prolactin because it promotes the production of milk or lactation in organisms with mammary glands (mammals). So far, prolactin has shown more than 300 functions in the body.
There are different prolactin functions like metabolic, fluid regulation, immune system regulation, reproduction, etc. In the human body, prolactin can be produced in both the front portion of the pituitary gland and the range of sites present somewhere in the body.
Lactotroph cells present in the pituitary gland of organisms are responsible for producing prolactin, where it is stored and then released into the bloodstream when needed.
The method used to control prolactin
The main regulator of the prolactin hormone is dopamine, which regulates the production of prolactin in the pituitary gland. Dopamine is produced by the hypothalamus, which lies above the pituitary gland in the brain.
As dopamine affects the production of prolactin, an increase in dopamine production decreases the production of prolactin. The prolactin hormone creates negative feedback by the secretion of dopamine itself.
Another regulator of the prolactin hormone is oestrogen. It increases the production of the prolactin hormone in the pituitary gland. A small proportion of prolactin hormone rises in the bloodstream of women during their reproductive cycles, whereas oestrogen hormone is present at its highest level. This also happens during a woman’s pregnancy or after childbirth as a high level of prolactin is needed to start lactation during these times.
There are different types of hormones—oxytocin, antidiuretic hormones, etc—present in mammals, which can increase and decrease the amount of prolactin released in the body.
Uses of prolactin
Some of the uses of prolactin are given below.
Prolactin is mainly used to initiate and maintain lactation or milk production in milk-producing organisms(mammals).
Prolactin helps in the induction of the lobular alveolar system and ductal growth.
Prolactin also helps in the production of some proteins like casein and lactalbumin.
Prolactin plays a crucial role in the regulation of fluids or osmoregulation.
Prolactin is also used for metabolic processes, such as for the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, calcium and Vitamin D.
Prolactin is also used for foetal lung development.
Prolactin takes part in the formation of steroids from the adrenal cortex and ovaries.
High prolactin level
The condition of high prolactin level or high prolactin secretion in the bloodstream is also known as hyperprolactinemia. The most known cause of hyperprolactinemia includes the medications taken during pregnancy, which decrease the production of dopamine, resulting in increased production of prolactin that causes hyperprolactinemia. Also, whenever the level of prolactin is higher, then it indicates that there may be a benign tumour of the pituitary gland, known as a prolactinoma. This pituitary gland tumour guides the gland to synthesise too much prolactin. High prolactin causes milk production in both males and females who are not pregnant.
Low prolactin level
The condition of low prolactin level or low prolactin secretion in the bloodstream is also known as hypoprolactinemia.
The condition of low prolactin production is very rare compared to that of high prolactin levels because it only occurs in those who have pituitary under-activity.
Low prolactin levels can cause low or insufficient breast milk production after giving birth.
Low prolactin levels can also cause some infections.
Conclusion
A prolactin test determines the prolactin hormone level in our blood.
A person may need a prolactin test when facing the following symptoms.
Milk production by a female who is neither pregnant nor breastfeeding.
Fatigue, headache, change in the vision of a person.
Abnormal periods or infertility in females.
Enlarged breasts.
Prolactin affects women’s normal menstrual cycle and may cause infertility in them.Prolactin release can also affect the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus.
If a woman does not feed breastmilk to her baby after delivery, her prolactin level falls in a few weeks.
Pathologies related to prolactin are either associated with its deficiency or excess.
Oestrogen is known as one of the main regulators of prolactin secretion during pregnancy. Prolactin can also mediate the effects of the endocrine system.
