Can High Prolactin Levels Affect Pregnancy?

Prolactin is a hormone that is related to lactation and the production of breast milk, as its name indicates. The pituitary gland is the organ which produces this hormone. Its primary function is to promote postpartum breast milk production. Women's fertility is impacted by prolactin because it prevents ovulation. Because of this, a nursing mother could not have her menstruation. On the other hand, some women who are not nursing could nevertheless have elevated prolactin levels. Infertility may result from this.

• Absence of periods• Irregular menstruation• Anovulation• A creamy secretion coming from the nipples that isn't related to nursing

Except in pregnancy, a woman's body does not produce much prolactin under normal circumstances. Excess Prolactin can either completely stop or significantly slow down the ovulation process. Consequently, the ovaries may occasionally produce an egg or not release any at all. Periods that are missing or irregular are one way to see this. Couples cannot plan their sexual activities if the egg is not released on time. This complicates natural conception.In certain instances, prolactin levels may not be high enough to stop ovulation, but they may have an impact on progesterone production, which causes the uterine walls to thicken following ovulation. We refer to this as the luteal phase. Lower than optimal levels of progesterone can shorten the luteal phase and inhibit the necessary thickening of the uterine lining. This might lead to a uterine lining that is too thin to allow for a good implant of the fertilized egg. Thus, even if the egg is fertilized, it will not have a chance to grow into a baby.

Depending on the underlying cause, there are several therapy options for hyperprolactinemia. Should medication be the reason, the expert can advise stopping the drug to get prolactin levels back to normal. However, the doctor may advise taking medication to replace thyroid hormone if hyperprolactinemia is associated with an endocrine problem. Lastly, medication containing dopamine antagonists may be required in situations of prolactinomas or pituitary adenomas. The primary goal of prolactin treatment is to return levels to normal in order to boost fertility.

If you have hyperprolactinemia and trying to conceive, there's no reason to worry since there are effective treatment alternatives available. However, it's possible that there are other reasons behind your infertility, which is why your doctor will probably want a full reproductive work-up. They can choose the most effective course of therapy for you if they can identify the underlying reason of your infertility.