When you are looking for a pregnancy it is essential to know from what situation you start. In this scenario it is important to know that prolactin can affect fertility, since it would cause a hormonal imbalance.
What is prolactin?
Prolactin is a hormone that originates in the pituitary gland and acts on virtually every cell in the body. Pregnant women and lactating mothers produce elevated levels of this hormone, as it is essential in the production of breast milk.
What does prolactin have to do with fertility?
Couples seeking a spontaneous pregnancy or trying to have a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment should have their prolactin levels controlled. The fact of having high levels of prolactin can be considered a sign of fertility, but the reality is that it is the opposite. High levels of prolactin are counterproductive to achieve a pregnancy, either naturally or through IVF treatment.
It is common to recommend a determination of prolactin levels in women with menstrual or fertility problems. In fact, in an Assisted Reproduction treatment it is considered a routine test. Lactating women, particularly in the first few months after childbirth, do not menstruate or ovulate, and that is the true power of lactation. prolactin: is responsible for the breast milk productionbut at the same time slows reproductive capacity of natural form.
What is the normal level of prolactin in women?
When you are trying to get pregnant, what you want is to ovulate, have a regular cycle or produce progesterone that favors embryo implantation. However, a situation of elevated prolactin levels or hyperprolactinemia may be responsible for this not happening. A normal prolactin level is approximately 2-29 ng/ml. If the concentration is higher than 100 ng/ml, your reproductive chances may be compromised. And it is that these values can be suggestive of polycystic ovarian syndrome, stress, hypothyroidism or the presence of a pituitary cyst or prolactinoma.
Causes of Elevated Prolactin Levels
The main motivator of a high prolactin level is the fact of being pregnant or lactating. However, in 30% of cases the origin of hyperprolactinemia is unknown. Among the possible causes of a high level of prolactin we can find:
- Stress
- sleep deficit
- Not doing physical activity
- Diet high in protein or fat
- Taking antidepressant, anxiolytic or similar medications
- Pituitary tumors
- Renal insufficiency
- Injuries to the chest wall or spinal cord
- Adrenal gland insufficiency
How does prolactin affect ovulation?
Under normal conditions, the woman produces very little prolactin, unless she is pregnant. Elevated prolactin levels can stop ovulation or slow it down. That is, the ovaries may release an egg intermittently or not at all, which can be seen as absent or irregular menses. If there is no ovulation at the corresponding time, couples cannot plan their sexual relations, which makes it extremely difficult to conceive naturally.
In some cases, prolactin levels are not high enough to prevent ovulation, but they can affect the synthesis of progesterone, which is responsible for the thickening of the uterine walls after ovulation, in the period known as the luteal phase. Low amounts of progesterone can shorten the luteal phase by preventing the endometrium from reaching the necessary thickness to promote embryo implantation; as a result, even if we have a fertilized oocyte, it will be very difficult for it to end up in an ongoing pregnancy.
Prolactin and thyroid
Finally, in a situation of hypothyroidism, the hypothalamus secretes hormones to try to stimulate the thyroid gland. This same hormone may also be responsible for the excess production of pituitary prolactin. A treatment supplemented with thyroid hormone will correct both thyroid activity and hyperprolactinemia.
Does high prolactin affect fertility in men?
It may be the case that high levels of this hormone affect the reproductive potential of the male. Among the most frequent symptoms we find erectile dysfunction, oligospermia -low sperm count- or infertility.
Naps looking for pregnancy and you suspect that you may have a fertility problem, at IVI we can help you. You can contact us by calling 900847300 or through the form to request an appointment at IVI. We have more than 30 years of experience leading the field of reproductive medicine and we have more than 30 clinics in Spain.
