What is the main cause of high prolactin?
What causes hyperprolactinemia? One common cause of hyperprolactinemia is a growth or tumor on the pituitary gland called a prolactinoma. The tumor produces high levels of prolactin. These tumors can be large or small and are usually benign, meaning they are not cancerous.
Can stress cause high prolactin levels?
Regardless of what the research says, stress does cause physiological changes within the body. It boosts adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones, in turn, inhibit the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Stress also increases prolactin production.
What are the dangers of high prolactin levels?
In women, a high blood level of prolactin often causes hypoestrogenism with anovulatory infertility and a decrease in menstruation.
What else could explain high prolactin levels?
Below are other conditions that can also cause high prolactin levels: Breast stimulation Orgasm Stress Pregnancy Kidney failure Liver disease Lesions in the spinal cord Other medical conditions such as sarcoidosis, metastases, hemochromatosis, Cushing syndrome, hypothalamic disease, tuberculosis, head trauma, empty sella syndrome, and meningioma Radiation therapy for the skull An eating disorder called anorexia
What is considered to be a high level of prolactin?
The diagnosis of a prolactinoma is confirmed by demonstrating persistently elevated blood levels of prolactin. A prolactin level of over 150-200 ng/ml is almost always due to a prolactin secreting pituitary adenoma.
What does an elevated prolactin level mean?
A common cause of an abnormally elevated prolactin level is a prolactinoma, a tumor of the pituitary gland that causes excess production of prolactin. Prolactinoma is the most common type of pituitary tumor and is usually benign. They develop more frequently in women but are also found in men.