Prolactin is a peptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary, endometrium and decidual uterine membrane. The name of the hormone is due to its ability to influence the lactation process. In addition, the biological effect of prolactin is to maintain the entire reproductive system of the female and male body.
This hormone affects the process of ovulation and conception, and is also responsible for sperm activity. When a woman's prolactin is below normal, this affects her health and well-being. Most often, a decrease in this hormone is a consequence of a disease or hormonal failure. In order not to launch a possible disease, you need to know about the symptoms of low prolactin, as well as methods of treating this problem.
Prolactin and Women's Health
Prolactin has a stronger effect on women than on men. Therefore, with its decrease or increase, this immediately affects the state of health of the woman and her well-being. Prolactin is responsible for the following processes in the female body:
- Puberty and the formation of secondary sexual characteristics.
- Emotional background during puberty.
- Protection of the fetus from the immune responses of the mother during pregnancy.
- Stage of formation of the respiratory system in the embryo.
- The production of breast milk.
- The formation of maternal instincts.
- Water-salt balance.
During lactation, prolactin prevents ovulation, and also protects a woman from hormonal failure. It is this hormone that prevents pregnancy during breastfeeding.
Why does prolactin go down?
This hormone rarely decreases on its own. Usually its jump is accompanied by a malfunction of other sex hormones. Even a slight decrease in prolactin from the established norm can provoke significant changes in well-being and make changes to the normal functioning of the reproductive system.
Doctors call low prolactin hypoprolactinemia. Most doctors are confident that this hormone decreases a second time, due to a malfunction of the anterior pituitary gland. Such pathologies often occur after severe bleeding during childbirth, which leads to pituitary necrosis. In this case, during a laboratory examination, there will be a lack of not only prolactin, but also other hormones.
Signs of a decrease in prolactin in women
The hormone prolactin can lower its performance in women for many reasons. Most of them will indicate serious pathological processes. Only rarely can depression or a weak immune system cause low prolactin. Therefore, every woman who has noticed signs of a hormonal failure should go to a consultation with a therapist and pass the necessary tests. Most often, low prolactin can be determined by the following symptoms:
- Poor lactation after childbirth.
- Infertility.
- Slow puberty.
- Frequent miscarriages, especially in the early stages.
- Restless sleep and insomnia.
- Dramatic weight gain.
- Persistent depression and nervousness.
- Menstrual irregularities.
- Decreased libido.
Any of these signs indicates a violation in the functioning of the reproductive or autonomic system. The most common symptom of lowered prolactin is a shortage of breast milk. Sometimes low prolactin in women does not show any signs. That is why it is so important to regularly carry out preventive measures and once every six months to do tests that examine the hormonal background and other important body processes.
The main reasons for lowering prolactin in women
Most often, prolactin below normal signals pathologies that occur in the female reproductive system. In order not to start a disease that has manifested itself with a similar sign, you need to know what exactly provokes the decline of this hormone. The main reasons that provoke a decrease in prolactin are the following processes:
- Pituitary necrosis, formed after an unsuccessful birth.
- The formation of a tumor in the brain.
- The postponed gestational age is more than 42 weeks.
- Treatment of malignant neoplasms.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Inflammatory diseases.
- Congenital pathology.
- Infectious diseases of the brain (tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, etc.).
- Taking hormonal drugs.
Pituitary necrosis and tuberculosis causes an irreversible decrease in the level of the hormone prolactin. The use of drugs or traumatic brain injury only temporarily reduces its concentration. With complaints of low prolactin after 45 years, doctors most often attribute this failure to the manifestation of menopause symptoms.
Prolactin Reduction During Pregnancy
A normal and healthy pregnancy without complications suggests a natural increase in prolactin within the established norm. This hormone has a strong effect on the stimulation of the production of breast milk, as well as on the development of the fetus. It is under the influence of prolactin that the synthesis of surfactant in the respiratory organs of the baby increases. According to numerous studies of scientists, there is a connection between the manifestation of hypoprolactinemia and an increased mortality rate in premature infants.
When prolactin during childbearing begins to fall below acceptable values, one should beware of premature birth, and later problems with breastfeeding. Moreover, every woman should know that it is strictly forbidden to be treated with alternative methods in such a situation. You must consult a doctor to prescribe treatment, and if you have problems with lactation, use the services of a breastfeeding consultant. If the above methods do not give a result, you should switch to artificial feeding of the child.
Decreased Prolactin in Men
Prolactin has a strong effect on the functioning of the reproductive system in men. This hormone is responsible for sperm activity and successful fertilization. Men rarely experience low levels of prolactin. More often, this hormone is elevated.
Prolactin levels may decrease due to natural factors and various diseases. Regardless of the reasons that accompany this deviation, it is necessary to consult a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Low prolactin in men affects the psyche and worsens sexual life. Significantly reduced libido, sperm quality deteriorates, which negatively affects when trying to conceive a child. A man begins to suffer from insomnia, depression and nervous conditions.
Prolactin hormone levels may decrease as a result of drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Therefore, if you suspect its insufficiency, you should reconsider your attitude to bad habits, go in for sports and start eating right.
Diagnosis of reduced prolactin
If you suspect low prolactin, it is necessary to take a blood test for this hormone to determine its exact amount in the blood. If signs of its decrease occurred during treatment of a brain tumor, pituitary necrosis, or any other diseases, it is necessary to approach the determination of prolactin levels with special attention. In people with such pathologies, not only this hormone, but everyone else will be lowered. Also, serum prolactin decreases. Therefore, going to the clinic, it is necessary to pass an analysis for adrenocorticotropic, thyrotropic, somatotropic, follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormone.
How to treat low prolactin
The method of treatment chosen depends only on the cause, which led to a decrease in hormone levels. Low prolactin in women and men is not a disease in itself. Therefore, treatment of hypoprolactinemia alone is strictly prohibited. First you need to find out everything about the disease that led to a decrease in this hormone. You can not try to normalize the hormonal background with the help of folk recipes. Only by identifying the cause of the pathology, you can even out the amount of prolactin in the blood. Self-medication in this case will not only become inconclusive, but will also aggravate the state of health.
Who to treat hormonal failure
Having identified symptoms of low prolactin, you should immediately make an appointment with your nearest clinic. First of all, you need to seek help from one of the following specialists:
- To the gynecologist.
- Endocrinologist.
- To the therapist.
Visiting the last doctor on the list will help correct the emotional background, which often fails with low prolactin. A man suffering from a decrease in this hormone must make an appointment with an andrologist. This doctor treats diseases of the reproductive system in men.
Medication for hypoprolactinemia
Treatment of this pathology is by the method of restoring the hormonal background. They do this with the help of drugs containing prolactin. One of the most popular products in this category is Dostinex. Low prolactin is also treated with other medicines, but most endocrinologists prefer it. It contains the following active substances:
- Lactose free.
- Cabergoline.
- Leucine.
Already half an hour after taking the hormonal agent, the patient's well-being improves. Low prolactin after "Dostinex" significantly increases in its performance.
Endocrinologist's Tips
Doctors note that most of the tests taken may differ from the actual state of the hormonal background. This happens due to non-observance of elementary rules, which must be followed before donating blood for analysis. To determine the amount of prolactin, venous blood is sampled. Do it strictly on an empty stomach after night fasting. You should also carefully prepare for the analysis. To do this, you need:
- Do not engage in physical activity a day before the test, exclude sexual contacts and any sport. Do not overcool, drink alcohol, go to the sauna, the beach or the solarium.
- A few hours before blood sampling calm down and remain at rest. You can’t eat or drink anything except a glass of water.
Recovery period
With reduced prolactin, it begins after the first day of taking hormonal drugs. Unpleasant symptoms associated with hormonal disruption will begin to disappear after a week of complex treatment. The recovery period will be much easier if you follow these recommendations:
- Do not be nervous or worry. The work of many vital processes of the body depends on the mental state.
- Get rid of bad habits. Smoking and alcohol have an extremely negative effect on the state of health and the normalization of prolactin levels in the blood.
- Stop drinking coffee, spirits, soda.
- Do not eat fried, smoked, canned and flour.
- Refuse chocolate and other desserts with a high sugar content.
- Eat healthy foods that contain saturated fatty acids.
A special diet and rejection of bad habits will not only restore the body during hormonal failure, but will also serve as an excellent prevention.