A pituitary hormone that, when high, can disrupt cycles and fertility.
Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland. Its best known job is to support breast milk production after childbirth, but it also influences the menstrual cycle, fertility, and sex drive in both sexes.
Prolactin is tested when periods stop or become irregular, with unexplained breast milk production, low libido, or trouble conceiving. A high level can switch off the normal cycle signals.
High prolactin can come from a pituitary growth called a prolactinoma, from certain medicines, from an underactive thyroid, or from stress and nipple stimulation around the time of the draw. Low prolactin is rarely a concern on its own.
Aniva reads your result against research-backed ranges, not just the lab's wide normal. The reference shown below is specific to this biomarker.
Sex dependent. Guidance only and assay dependent. Ranges vary by lab. Values are sometimes reported in mIU/L.
| Group | Reference range |
|---|---|
| Women, non-pregnant | ~4 to 30 ug/L (about 80 to 600 mIU/L) |
| Men | ~3 to 18 ug/L (about 60 to 360 mIU/L) |
Source: LOINC 2842-3. Confirm against your own laboratory's range.
Your result shows whether prolactin is raised and possibly disrupting your cycle, fertility, or libido. A clearly high value usually prompts a repeat test and a look at medicines and thyroid function.
Stress, exercise, a recent meal, and nipple stimulation can raise prolactin, so a single high result is often repeated. Many medicines raise it, including some antidepressants and antipsychotics. A lab effect called macroprolactin can give falsely high readings.
Best read together with TSH, FSH, LH, and estradiol or testosterone, depending on the reason for testing.
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