Re: Ovulation without menstrual cycle

Posted By Tracy Trull on June 17, 1998 at 01:00:41:

In Reply to: Ovulation without menstrual cycle posted by saima sami on June 16, 1998 at 02:51:59:







Tracy hello,
i am 22 years of age having menstural irregularities.my prolactin was found to be 32.my docter says it to be a hormonal imbalance,and prescribed be nordetts(hormones).kindly tell me what the hell is this thing,what effects it could haveon my fertility.please tell me about it.i would be really gratefull to you.

Prolactin is a protein hormone secreted from the anterior pituitary gland. Prolactin stimulates the production of milk in females. There is no known normal function of prolactin in males.
Normal values:
males and nonpregnant females: 0 to 20 ng/ml
pregnancy: 10 to 300 ng/ml
Note: ng/ml = nanograms per milliliter

What abnormal results mean:
A prolactin-secreting tumor(prolactinoma) (most often).
            OR
HYPERPROLACTINEMIA - A condition characterized by an increased level of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and prepares the pregnant females breasts for milk production.
What is a prolactinoma?
A prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that produces a hormone called prolactin. It is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are caused by too much prolactin in the blood (hyperprolactinemia) or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues.
What other conditions cause prolactin levels to rise?
In some people, high blood levels of prolactin can be traced to causes other than a pituitary tumor.

Prescription drugs. Prolactin secretion in the pituitary is normally suppressed by the brain chemical, dopamine.Drugs that block the effects of dopamine at the pituitary or deplete dopamine stores in the brain may cause the pituitary to secrete prolactin. These drugs include the major tranquilizers trifluoperazine (Stelazine) and haloperidol (Haldol); metoclopramide (Reglan), used to treat gastroesophageal reflux and the nausea caused by certain cancer drugs; and less often, alpha methyldopa and reserpine, used to control hypertension.

Other Pituitary Tumors. Other tumors arising in or near the pituitary-such as those that cause acromegaly or Cushing's syndrome-may block the flow of dopamine from the brain to the prolactin-secreting cells.

Hypothyroidism. Increased prolactin levels are often seen in people with hypothyroidism, and doctors routinely test people with hyperprolactinemia for hypothyroidism.

Breast stimulation also can cause a modest increase in the amount of prolactin in the blood.