Do you know what prolactin is? In short, it is an essential hormone for pregnant women, but it can also appear in men.
When you hear about prolactin, you immediately think about breastfeeding, right? However, this hormone has other functions for the female body that go far beyond milk production in pregnant women. But, after all, what is prolactin? Well, generally speaking, prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, located in the brain.
Firstly, it is important to emphasize that the prolactin test is essential to check the levels of the hormone in the body. In general, the value should be on average 20 ng/mL (except for pregnant and breastfeeding women). If the prolactin level is unregulated, it is possible that there are several problems in both women’s and men’s bodies.
Therefore, find out what prolactin is, how the test is carried out, in addition to the causes that changes in the hormone can cause in the body.
What is prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, present in the lower part of the brain. Among its main functions are:
- Responsible for producing breast milk for breastfeeding;
- Promotes the maintenance of immunity levels in the pregnant woman’s body;
- Prevents reproduction during lactation;
- It produces several effects on metabolism, maintaining glucose and lipid levels;
- Decreases renal excretion of sodium and potassium and increases the release of sodium chloride in sweat;
- Increases intestinal absorption of water and ions.
Prolactin test
The test carried out to identify the level of prolactin in the body is carried out through blood collection in laboratories.
Firstly, before taking the exam, you must spend at least 1 day without physical activity, do not smoke and rest for 30 minutes.
Altered hormone
When the prolactin value is below normal (20 ng/ml), it is not a cause for concern. However, it should become a problem if the hormone level is low in breastfeeding women, as this reduces the ability to produce milk.
Furthermore, if your prolactin is high in your body, you will need to undergo treatment with a gynecologist.
Symptoms of high prolactin:
- Galactorreia;
- Amenorrhea;
- Loss of libido;
- Infertility;
Treatments
First of all, when prolactin is high it is necessary to carry out tests to find out the cause of this, which could even be due to a tumor. Therefore, the most recommended treatment is surgery.
However, in most cases, treatment can be done through medications that inhibit hormone production.
Prolactin in men
Contrary to what many people think, prolactin is also present in the male body. Firstly, its main function is to act as a body relaxant after orgasm.
Furthermore, just like in women, high levels of the hormone can cause various problems in the male body, such as: sexual impotence, loss of libido and infertility.
So, what did you think of our article? In fact, also check out: Estrogen – What it is, what it is for and how it influences women’s health.
Sources: Changing diapers, Vita Llogy, Labvw, My life.
Image sources: Haddad Astolfi, Cartão Ideal, Inerp, 123rf, Clinica Proser.
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