This article refers to what content of prolactin in a woman’s body is considered the norm. And what happens if the balance is disturbed.
Content
The hormone, which is responsible for lactation, contributes to the development of secondary sexual characteristics, regulates the functionality of the childbearing female system is called prolactin. If the presence of prolactin is not normal, then serious malfunctions in the body system occur.
This hormone is responsible for the work of the pituitary gland. It is not only in the mammary gland, ovaries, walls of the uterus, but also in the heart muscle, pancreas, spleen and some parts of the central nervous system. Prolactin contributes to the growth of the chest, and also supports the balance of progesterone during pregnancy. Due to this, the fetal development occurs. The norm of prolactin is counted in women according to two conditions: by age criterion and during lactation, pregnancy. Its task is to lactate.
The norm of prolactin in women by age is a table
Typically, the number of prolactin during blood test is measured in units such as:
- μma/ml, ng/ml
- mME/L, NG/DL.
In modern laboratories, MME/L (mol of international units/liter) and ng/ml (nanograms/milliliter) are used. Interestingly, in different laboratories, different units of measurement can use.
Below in the table, see the standards of prolactin in MMU/liter.
The norm of prolactin in women: how to find out the level of prolactin in the body, how to prepare for analyzes?
You can determine the hormone balance by venous blood. The specialist will necessarily explain how to prepare the body for the process. After all, the correctness of the analysis directly depends on this.
During the training period, women should follow the following recommendations:
- Before testing blood on prolactin, exclude sexual relations.
- Also, 24 hours before the analysis, wear only convenient, pleasant underwear to the body, or rather - a bra -/ -b fabric bra. This wardrobe item should not irritate the nipples.
- Before testing, you cannot experience emotional loads and overwork from physical exercises. Put yourself from stressful conditions.
- Derying drinks are contraindicated during this period.
- Tests should only be taken on an empty stomach. Stand the day before no later than eight in the evening. For meals, only easily digestible products (kefir, stew, vegetable soups, salads) are suitable.
- On the eve of the tests, be sure to sleep well. And it is undesirable to conduct a test earlier than three hours after sleep.
- Refuse smoking two and a half hours before the tests.
- Come to the laboratory in advance-25-30 minutes before taking blood to catch your breath, calm down so that the hormone level is reliable.
Keep in mind that the time of blood donation for analysis also plays an important role in determining the level of prolactin. It can be distinguished unevenly throughout the day. Therefore, doctors advise to take the analysis in the morning for about 8-10 hours.
It must be taken into account that on critical days it is undesirable to take the test, the best time to test the fifth-eight day after menstruation.
For mothers who excommunicate the baby from the chest, there are also rules. The most favorable time to donate a blood test is the seventh-eight day after you stopped applying a child to your chest.
Hormone prolactin - What does women answer for?
The manifestation of female diseases is most often due to hormonal failures. Various violations associated with a monthly cycle (lack of critical days, strong or vice versa - scarce discharge, violations associated with the ovulation process) lead to infertility. If women have problems with the chest glands, then they often appear due to a violation of the balance of prolactin. Thus, the increased balance of the hormone leads to indifference to sex, a psycho -emotional state is also disturbed and physical ailments may appear.
After all, prolactin takes part in many reactions in the body, in particular:
- Normalizes the activities of the adrenal glands, activates the synthesis of androgens.
- It affects the development of secondary sexual reactions in girls, contributes to the development of the chest glands.
- Prolactin plays an important role in preparing pregnant women for lactation.
- This hormone is also responsible for the amount of milk secreted in the woman in labor when feeding the baby.
- Thanks to prolactin, pregnant women will not be pregnant - it performs a mission of a contraceptive barrier.
- If prolactin is normal, then women manifest the maternal instinct.
- He is involved in supporting the balance of progesterone in the body of a pregnant woman, prevents miscarriages, and saves from premature birth.
If we summarize the above facts, then the prolactin can be given a role responsible for the sexual, a childbearing process.
Increased prolactin in women: causes and consequences
If women are found in the body of a hormone of more than 500 mme/liter, then it is already believed that the norm is exceeded. Over 1,500 units of prolactin in the blood are considered a manifestation of hyperprolactinemia. And when the hormone rises to 2000 mm/liter, that is, a suspicion of a benign tumor.
Symptoms of high content of prolactin:
- Disorders of the menstrual cycle, meager or too abundant discharge, long breaks between menstruation.
- The impossibility of bearing the fetus, miscarriages in the early periods of pregnancy up to 12 weeks of development of the embryo.
- Malfunctions in the operation of the egg during ovulation.
- The manifestation of involuntary discharge of milk from the breast that is not associated with the period of pregnancy.
- Hair growth, like in men in the zones of the abdomen, chest, face.
- The manifestation of frigidity, a decrease in sexual desires, unpleasant sensations after sex.
- Increased body weight.
- Thyroid pathologies.
- Lack of calcium, osteoporosis.
- Reduced vision, forgetfulness, insomnia, irritability, depression.
IMPORTANT: Vision can decrease due to the growth of cells that the hormone produces. Prolactinoma appears. This tumor exerts pressure on the optic nerves and some nerve endings.
The primary sources of the manifestation of hormonal imbalance:
- At Balzakovsky, women have a spontaneous increase in hormone in women. Therefore, after forty -five years, processes such as a decrease in vision, hearing impairment, sleep disturbance are observed.
- In young girls, the balance of prolactin is overly growing during the ripening, when monthly discharge appears. The hormone content in pregnant women and women in labor, who breastfeeding the baby, also increases.
- A temporary violation of prolactin’s balance is up to wearing synthetic linen due to irritation of the nipples. Also, such a reaction of the body is caused by massages in the neck, spinal department, increased sports loads, stress states.
If women have a critical increase in the hormone in the body, then this carries a great danger to health. Causes of high prolactin are as follows:
- Pathologies of the thyroid gland, brain diseases (cyst, prolactioma or meningioma).
- Diseases such as tuberculosis.
- Radiation sickness.
- Pathological changes in the liver - cirrhosis, hepatitis.
- The effect on the hormonal background of the use of narcotic, psychotropic drugs.
What can hyperprolactinemia lead to?
With the jumps of the hormone, in a large way due to physiological causes, dangerous consequences will not be observed. But when an increased level of prolactin is caused by a manifestation of a disease, then you need to urgently contact a specialist.
The doctor will diagnose and select the correct therapy. This will save the patient from such dangerous pathologies as: oncological neoplasms, diseases of the uterus, ovaries, infertility, visual impairment, heart disease, obesity, and the appearance of tumors in the brain. And these are not all the problems that women can expect.
Prolactin plays a large role in the work of many body systems. Due to the violation of the balance, there may be various malfunctions in the functioning of these systems, this will cause complications to the patient. And no one can predict the consequences, because this topic in medicine has not been fully studied.
How is hyperprolactinemia diagnosed?
Before proceeding to therapy, diagnosis is carried out to determine the disease of a woman. In addition to taking blood for analysis, it is also recommended to examine the thyroid gland to exclude hypothyroidism. They also test the balance of other hormones that directly affect the endocrine system.
- Explore blood on Biochemical analysisTo establish if the patient has pathologies of the kidneys, liver, determine whether there are violations in the exchange balance.
- If a woman has an increased content of prolactin, then there may also be disorders of blood sugar, increased cholesterol, reduced production of triglycerides, substances that prevent the appearance of fat in the liver.
- In addition to all these tests, they do analysis on bilirubin. Thanks to it, you can establish if there are pathological processes in the work of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver.
To exclude oncological diseases, sexual system and thyroid gland, they do Ultrasound, computer tomography and x -ray. One of the most accurate examinations is MRI. Thanks to him, you can get a complete picture about the condition of the patient’s organs.
Highly content treatment methods for prolactin
After the diagnosis of the patient, the specialist doctor prescribes a course of therapy. It can be various medications, depending on the type of disease.
- When therapeutic methods powerless, then apply surgical treatment of treatment. For example, you can get rid of the pituitary adenoma thanks to the opening of the cranial box. Such an operation is also done through the nose. Surgical intervention is carried out by doctors when drug therapy is powerless or there are allergenic reactions to drugs.
- Radiation therapy Also used to eliminate tumors if there are contraindications to surgical interventions and intolerance to pharmacy drugs.
In order for prolactin balance to be normal, certain preventive measures should be carried out. In particular, undergoing periodic examinations among doctors of specialists (gynecologist, endocrinologist). No need to run the identified diseases that are associated with a violation of hormonal balance in the body.