Basics: Testing: Prolactin

prolactin (PRL) test measures how much of a hormone called prolactin you have in your blood. The hormone is made in your pituitary gland, which is located just below your brain.

When women are pregnant or have just given birth, their prolactin levels increase so they can make breast milk. But it’s possible to have high prolactin levels if you’re not pregnant, and even if you’re a man.

Your doctor may order a prolactin test when you report having the following symptoms:

For women

For men

  • Decreased sex drive
  • Difficulty in getting an erection
  • Breast tenderness or enlargement
  • Breast milk production (very rare)

For both

Causes of Abnormal Prolactin Levels

Normally, men and nonpregnant women have just small traces of prolactin in their blood. When you have high levels, this could be caused by:

Also, kidney diseaseliver failure, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (a hormone imbalance that affects ovaries) all can affect the body’s ability to remove prolactin.

How the Test Is Done

You don’t need to make any special preparations for a prolactin test. You will get a blood sample taken at a lab or a hospital. A lab worker will insert a needle into a vein in your arm to take out a small amount of blood.

Some people feel just a little sting. Others might feel moderate pain and see slight bruising afterwards.

After a few days, you’ll get the results of your prolactin test in the form of a number.

The normal range for prolactin in your blood are:

  • Males: 2 to 18 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL)
  • Nonpregnant females: 2 to 29 ng/mL
  • Pregnant females: 10 to 209 ng/mL

If Your Prolactin Levels Are High

If your value falls outside the normal range, this doesn’t automatically mean you have a problem. Sometimes the levels can be higher if you’ve eaten or were under a lot of stress when you got your blood test.

Also, what’s considered a normal range may be different depending on which lab your doctor uses.

If your levels are very high — up to 1,000 times the upper limit of what’s considered normal — this could be a sign that you have prolactinoma. This tumor is not cancer, and it is usually treated with medicine. In this case, your doctor may want you to get an MRI.

You’ll lie inside a magnetic tube as the MRI device uses radio waves to put together a detailed image of your brain. It will show whether there’s a mass near your pituitary gland and, if so, how big it is.

If Your Levels Are Low

If your prolactin levels are below the normal range, this could mean your pituitary gland isn’t working at full steam. That’s known as hypopituitarism. Lower levels of prolactin usually do not need medical treatment.

Certain drugs can cause low levels of prolactin. They include:

Treatment

Not all cases of high prolactin levels need to be treated.

Your treatment will depend on the diagnosis. If it turns out to be a small prolactinoma or a cause can’t be found, your doctor may recommend no treatment at all.

In some cases, your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower prolactin levels. If you have a prolactinoma, the goal is to use medicine to reduce the size of the tumor and lower the amount of prolactin.

From https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/prolactin-test

 

🎤 Archived Interview: JenS discussed Bilateral Adrenalectomy (BLA)

Jen had Pituitary surgery by Dr. Shahinian 4/28/04, removed ACTH secreting corticotroph hyperplasia and prolactinoma.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Theodore Friedman as cyclical pituitary Cushings.

Her second Surgery 7/21/04 for infection resulted in neuralgia. She had a BLA in March 2006 as Corticol Hyperplasia returned and she now has possible Nelson’s syndrome. Jen also has Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto’s, multiple nodules and entire thyroid removed 2003) and she is Growth Hormone Deficient (3/2006)

Listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cushingshelp/2008/02/29/jens-discusses-bilateral-adrenalectomy-bla

HOME | Sitemap | Abbreviations | Adrenal Crisis! | Glossary | Forums | Bios | Add Your Bio | Add Your Doctor | MemberMap | CushieWiki

🎤 Archived Interview: JenS discussed Bilateral Adrenalectomy (BLA)

 

Jen had Pituitary surgery by Dr. Shahinian 4/28/04, removed ACTH secreting corticotroph hyperplasia and prolactinoma.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Theodore Friedman as cyclical pituitary Cushings.

Her second Surgery 7/21/04 for infection resulted in neuralgia. She had a BLA in March 2006 as Corticol Hyperplasia returned and she now has possible Nelson’s syndrome. Jen also has Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto’s, multiple nodules and entire thyroid removed 2003) and she is Growth Hormone Deficient (3/2006)

Listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cushingshelp/2008/02/29/jens-discusses-bilateral-adrenalectomy-bla

HOME | Sitemap | Abbreviations | Adrenal Crisis! | Glossary | Forums | Bios | Add Your Bio | Add Your Doctor | MemberMap | CushieWiki

🎤 Archived Interview: JenS discussed Bilateral Adrenalectomy (BLA)

 

Jen had Pituitary surgery by Dr. Shahinian 4/28/04, removed ACTH secreting corticotroph hyperplasia and prolactinoma.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Theodore Friedman as cyclical pituitary Cushings.

Her second Surgery 7/21/04 for infection resulted in neuralgia. She had a BLA in March 2006 as Corticol Hyperplasia returned and she now has possible Nelson’s syndrome. Jen also has Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto’s, multiple nodules and entire thyroid removed 2003) and she is Growth Hormone Deficient (3/2006)

Listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cushingshelp/2008/02/29/jens-discusses-bilateral-adrenalectomy-bla

HOME | Sitemap | Abbreviations | Adrenal Crisis! | Glossary | Forums | Bios | Add Your Bio | Add Your Doctor | MemberMap | CushieWiki

👥 Stanford Pituitary Patient Education Day

The Stanford Pituitary Center invites patients with pituitary disease, their family and friends to Stanford’s Pituitary Patient Education Day!

May 18, 2019 at the Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel
625 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94301 
USA

Registration Contact:

Jennie Visitacion
E: JennieV@Stanford.edu
Ph: 650-725-4715

Topics and Breakout Sessions:

  • Function of the pituitary gland
  • General review of pituitary tumors
  • Endoscopic endonasal surgery for pituitary tumors
  • Quality of life after endonasal surgery
  • Radiation therapy for pituitary tumors
  • Cushing’s Disease, prolactinoma, and acromegaly
  • Hypopituitarism therapy and growth hormone deficiency

Speakers:

  • Olivia Chu, NP, Nurse Practitioner
  • Robert Dodd, MD, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
  • Juan Fernandez-Miranda, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery
  • Andrew Hoffman, MD, Professor of Medicine
  • Peter Hwang, MD, Professor of Otolaryngology
  • Laurence Katznelson, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery and Medicine
  • Erin Wolff, NP, Nurse Practitioner

Course Directors:

Dr. Juan C. Fernandez Miranda

Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda, MD, FACS
Professor of Neurosurgery, and by Courtesy, of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Co-Director, Stanford Skull Base Surgery Program

Dr. Laurence Katznelson

Laurence Katznelson, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery and of Medicine (Endocrinology)
Medical Director, Pituitary Center

📞 Webinar: Treatment Strategies for Prolactinomas

Presented by:

James K. Liu, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery
Director of Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery
Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School
RWJ Barnabas Health

After registering you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.

Register here

Date: January 9, 2019

Time: 3:00PM- 4:00 PM Pacific Standard Time, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

 

Learning Objectives:

  • To understand the medical therapies for prolactinomas
  • To understand the roles of surgery for prolactinomas
  • To understand the roles of radiation for prolactinomas

Presenter Bio:

Dr. James K. Liu is the Director of Cerebrovascular, Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery at the Rutgers Neurological Institute of New Jersey, and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and has a robust pituitary tumor practice at University Hospital and Saint Barnabas Medical Center.

Dr. Liu graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and obtained his MD from New York Medical College with AOA honors. After completing a neurosurgery residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he was awarded the Dandy Clinical Fellowship by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and obtained advanced fellowship training in Skull Base, Cerebrovascular Surgery & Neuro-oncology at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Dr. Liu is renowned for his comprehensive treatment of complex brain tumors and skull base lesions, including pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas,meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, chordomas, and jugular foramen tumors. His robust clinical practice encompasses both traditional open and minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal skull base approaches. He also specializes in microsurgery of cerebrovascular diseases including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), cavernous malformations, and carotid artery stenosis. He also has expertise in cerebrovascular bypass procedures for moya moya disease, carotid artery occlusion, vertebral artery occlusion, complex aneurysms and skull base tumors, as well as endoscopic-assisted microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm.

As one of the most active researchers in his field, Dr. Liu has published extensively with over 250 peer-reviewed publications and 25 textbook chapters. He has taught many hands-on cadaver dissection courses in skull base surgery and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Liu’s research is focused on the development of innovative and novel skull base and endoscopic techniques, quantitative surgical neuroanatomy, microsurgical and microvascular anastomosis skills training, virtual surgical simulation, pituitary tumor biology, and clinical outcomes after skull base and cerebrovascular surgery.

Dr. Liu is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Skull Base Society, Pituitary Network Association, The Facial Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia) Association, AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section, Tumor Section. He serves on the medical advisory board of the Acoustic Neuroma Association of New Jersey, and is the current Secretary-Treasurer of the International Meningioma Society.

🎤 Interview Archive: JenS discussed Bilateral Adrenalectomy (BLA)

 

Jen had Pituitary surgery by Dr. Shahinian 4/28/04, removed ACTH secreting corticotroph hyperplasia and prolactinoma.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Theodore Friedman as cyclical pituitary Cushings.

Her second Surgery 7/21/04 for infection resulted in neuralgia. She had a BLA in March 2006 as Corticol Hyperplasia returned and she now has possible Nelson’s syndrome. Jen also has Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto’s, multiple nodules and entire thyroid removed 2003) and she is Growth Hormone Deficient (3/2006)

Listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cushingshelp/2008/02/29/jens-discusses-bilateral-adrenalectomy-bla

HOME | Sitemap | Adrenal Crisis! | Abbreviations | Glossary | Forums | Donate | Bios | Add Your Bio | Add Your Doctor | MemberMap | CushieWiki

JenS discussed Bilateral Adrenalectomy (BLA)

 

Jen had Pituitary surgery by Dr. Shahinian 4/28/04, removed ACTH secreting corticotroph hyperplasia and prolactinoma.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Theodore Friedman as cyclical pituitary Cushings.

Her second Surgery 7/21/04 for infection resulted in neuralgia. She had a BLA in March 2006 as Corticol Hyperplasia returned and she now has possible Nelson’s syndrome. Jen also has Thyroid Issues (Hashimoto’s, multiple nodules and entire thyroid removed 2003) and she is Growth Hormone Deficient (3/2006)

Listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cushingshelp/2008/02/29/jens-discusses-bilateral-adrenalectomy-bla

HOME | Sitemap | Adrenal Crisis! | Abbreviations | Glossary | Forums | Donate | Bios | Add Your Bio | Add Your Doctor | MemberMap | CushieWiki