What are the side effects of high prolactin levels?
What are the side effects of high prolactin levels?
Symptoms include irregular or absent menstrual periods, infertility, menopausal symptoms (hot flashes and vaginal dryness), and, after several years, osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of the bones). High prolactin levels can also cause milk discharge from the breasts.
What should I do if my prolactin levels are high?
Dopamine agonists such as bromocriptine (Parlodel and Cycloset) are the most common treatment for high levels of prolactin. These medications help the brain produce dopamine to control high prolactin levels. They can also shrink prolactinoma tumors. Your doctor may recommend that you take cabergoline.
What causes high prolactin in females?
Its hormones help regulate important functions such as growth, metabolism, blood pressure and reproduction. Other possible causes of prolactin overproduction include medications, other types of pituitary tumors, an underactive thyroid gland, ongoing irritation to the chest, pregnancy and breast-feeding.
What can I eat to reduce prolactin?
Foods that lower prolactin levels are generally high in zinc; think shellfish, beef, turkey and beans. It's also important to get plenty of B6, so foods like potatoes, bananas, wild salmon, chicken and spinach can help boost those vitamin levels.Aug 7, 2018
What is the function of prolactin in females?
Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. Prolactin causes the breasts to grow and make milk during pregnancy and after birth. Prolactin levels are normally high for pregnant women and new mothers. Levels are normally low for nonpregnant women and for men.
What causes high prolactin levels in non pregnant female?
If prolactin levels are higher than normal, it often means there is a type of tumor of the pituitary gland, known as a prolactinoma. This tumor makes the gland produce too much prolactin. Excess prolactin can cause the production of breast milk in men and in women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Can high prolactin be cured?
Sometimes there's no specific cause for your high prolactin levels. This is known as idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. It usually goes away without treatment after several months. If your prolactin levels do not go down, your doctor will likely prescribe medication.
Can stress cause high prolactin levels?
It boosts adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones, in turn, inhibit the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Stress also increases prolactin production.
What increases prolactin?
The best way to raise your prolactin levels is to breastfeed or pump very frequently. When your baby is born, you should be breastfeeding or pumping at least every two to three hours around the clock. The more often you stimulate your breasts, the more your brain will release prolactin.Apr 7, 2021
What happens when prolactin levels are high?
Excess prolactin can cause the production of breast milk in men and in women who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. In women, too much prolactin can also cause menstrual problems and infertility (the inability to get pregnant). In men, it can lead to lower sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED).