Prolactin
From ChildWiki.com
Prolactin is a human hormone that is present in the bodies of both sexes. It is produced by the pituitary gland, and its levels differ throughout the life of women. In men, the levels of prolactin remain constant.
When prolactin functions normally, it will aid in the sexual development of girls beginning at puberty. It stimulates breast growth; it maintains the health of the mammary glands. Also, it plays an important role in ovulation, and in maintaining a normal menstrual cycle. Also, it has an important role in breastfeeding; triggering and controlling the breast milk production. There are no known uses for this hormone in a male.
The normal levels of prolactin are:
- Women: 2 - 29 ng/milliliter
- Men: 2 - 18 ng/milliliter
- Women that are pregnant or breastfeeding: 10 to 209 ng/milliliters
The levels of this hormone are checked whenever there is an irregularity with the milk production or the menstrual cycle. Cases that call for prolactin testing are : milk production when a woman is not pregnant, or did not give birth to a child recently, amenorrhea or other menstrual cycle disorders, impotence in men, and infertility in a couple. There are several reasons why the prolactin levels can show abnormal levels, including various types of cancer, or a deregulation of the functions in the pituitary gland.
