Prolactin: the norm in women of this hormone is the guarantee of health

Prolactin is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. And a small amount of this hormone is produced by the endometrium in the female body. Thanks to this hormone, women develop mammary glands, and the mother gives birth to milk. Also, due to prolactin, the water-salt balance in the human body is realized. This hormone affects the immune system and mental state. Prolactin is responsible for hair growth. If his level is increased, the hair of women begins to grow in the male type (mustache, chin). With disrupted metabolism, this level leads to obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to visit the doctor more often and check if the prolactin-norm in women is not violated. Men are also concerned.

What is considered prolactin-norm in women? Normally, it should not exceed the mark of 40-530 honey / l in women. Handing a blood test to the level of a given hormone, you should take into account the fact that at different times of the day it fluctuates. Analyzes are recommended to be taken in the morning on an empty stomach, approximately from 9 to 12 o'clock in the afternoon. The menstrual cycle also affects the level of the hormone, so it must also be taken into account.

How is hyperprolactemia or increased prolactin levels manifested? Here are just some signs of increasing prolactin in women:

- the menstrual cycle is rare, or absent at all,

- infertility,

- decreased sexual desire,

- there is a discharge from the mammary glands,

- Increased hairiness in the male type.

The mammary glands can swell strongly. This leads to the formation of macromastia, can form a cyst and adenoma, which grow into a cancerous tumor. Hyperprolactemia strongly affects the psyche of a woman. It sometimes leads to frustration of the psyche and diseases in this area. When a child or a man is depressed by prolactin - the norm. In women, this is considered a normal indicator, if it does not wait for the child. But if the level of not only this hormone is lowered, but also some others, it is better to consult a doctor to exclude the possibility of pituitary disease.

What factors influence the pathological change in the hormone prolactin? Their set: starvation, alcohol intake, excessive physical activity, stress, endocrine diseases, chronic liver and kidney diseases. Such violations can also occur after surgery on the chest.

How to prepare for the blood test for prolactin? All tests, including this one, are taken on an empty stomach. The day before the blood test, a woman should refrain from sexual intercourse, overheating and overstrain, smoking, emotional overload. Just before you go into the office to take the analysis, you need to sit quietly for at least 15 minutes. To give blood to prolactin is necessary in the first and second phases of the menstrual cycle. The result of the analysis, as a rule, is ready already on the next day after delivery.

Men, too, suffer from a change in the level of prolactin. In men, prolactin promotes the production of the male hormone testosterone and the proper development of spermatozoa. At its level has a considerable impact hormone estrogen. In normal men, the level of prolactin can increase with physical activity, during sexual intercourse and sleep, as well as with emotional overexcitation, stress. Prolactin-norm in men is slightly different than the prolactin-norm in women. It is 53-360 honey / l.

What can an increased level of prolactin in men say? If the level is elevated, there are reasons to assume the following diseases: pituitary tumor, hypothyroidism, hypothalamus disorder, renal insufficiency or cirrhosis of the liver. There may also be autoimmune diseases, such as red systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diffuse goiter and vitamin B vitamin hypovitaminosis.

Hyperprolactemia disrupts the function of the sex glands in men and negatively affects the function of conception. This is one of the main causes of male infertility. Reduced prolactin signals a deficiency of the pituitary gland and its apoplexy. Recommendations for the blood test for men are the same as for women.

Be healthy!