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This article waslast modified on 5 July 2021.
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?

To determine whether or not your prolactin concentrations are higher (or occasionally lower) than normal

When To Get Tested?

When you have symptoms of an elevated prolactin, such as galactorrhoea (breast milk production, not during pregnancy) and/or visual disturbances and headaches; as part of investigation for female and male infertility; for follow up of low testosterone in men

Sample Required?

A blood sample taken from a vein in your arm

Test Preparation Needed?

None

On average it takes 7 working days for the blood test results to come back from the hospital, depending on the exact tests requested. Some specialist test results may take longer, if samples have to be sent to a reference (specialist) laboratory. The X-ray & scan results may take longer. If you are registered to use the online services of your local practice, you may be able to access your results online. Your GP practice will be able to provide specific details.

If the doctor wants to see you about the result(s), you will be offered an appointment. If you are concerned about your test results, you will need to arrange an appointment with your doctor so that all relevant information including age, ethnicity, health history, signs and symptoms, laboratory and other procedures (radiology, endoscopy, etc.), can be considered.

Lab Tests Online-UK is an educational website designed to provide patients and carers with information on laboratory tests used in medical care. We are not a laboratory and are unable to comment on an individual's health and treatment.

Reference ranges are dependent on many factors, including patient age, sex, sample population, and test method, and numeric test results can have different meanings in different laboratories.

For these reasons, you will not find reference ranges for the majority of tests described on this web site. The lab report containing your test results should include the relevant reference range for your test(s). Please consult your doctor or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range if you do not have the lab report.

For more information on reference ranges, please read Reference Ranges and What They Mean.

What is being tested?

Prolactin is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland, a grape-sized organ found at the base of the brain. Prolactin concentrations are regulated by dopamine (a brain chemical), and the hormone is normally present in low amounts in men and non-pregnant women. Its main role is to promote lactation (breast milk production).

Prolactin concentrations are usually high throughout pregnancy and just after childbirth. During pregnancy prolactin, oestrogen and progesterone stimulate breast milk development. Following childbirth, prolactin helps initiate and maintain the breast milk supply. If a woman does not breastfeed, her prolactin concentration will soon drop back to pre-pregnancy levels. If she does breastfeed, suckling by the infant plays an important role in the release of prolactin. When the baby feeds, this has an effect on the amount of prolactin secreted by the pituitary, and this in turn controls the amount of milk produced. Prolactin concentrations will continue to be high while the mother continues to breastfeed, but will eventually fall back to pre-pregnancy levels.

Besides pregnancy, the most common cause of elevated prolactin concentration is a prolactinoma, a prolactin-producing tumour of the pituitary gland. Prolactinomas are the most common type of pituitary tumour and are usually benign. They develop more frequently in women but are also found in men. Problems can arise both from the unintended affects of excess prolactin, such as milk production in the non-pregnant woman (and rarely, man) and from the size and location of the tumour.

If the pituitary gland and/or the tumour enlarge significantly it can put pressure on the optic nerve, causing headaches and visual disturbances; and it can interfere with the other hormones that the pituitary gland produces. In women, prolactinomas can cause infertility and irregularities in menstruation (menstrual periods); in men, these tumours can cause a gradual loss in sexual function and desire. If left untreated, prolactinomas may eventually damage tissues surrounding them.

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Common Questions
  • How is it used?

    Prolactin concentrations are used with other test results, to help:

    • Evaluate pituitary gland function (along with other hormones)
    • Diagnose prolactinomas (tumours of the pituitary gland that produce prolactin)
    • Monitor treatment of prolactinomas and detect recurrences 
    • Determine the cause of galactorrhoea
    • In the investigation of the cause of headaches and visual disturbances 
    • In the investigation of infertility and erectile dysfunction in males 
    • In the investigation of infertility and irregular menstruation in females
  • When is it requested?

    Prolactin may be requested when a patient has symptoms of a prolactinoma such as unexplained headaches, visual impairment, and/or galactorrhoea. It may also be requested, along with other tests, when a woman is experiencing infertility or irregular menses (menstrual periods ); or when a man has symptoms such as: a decreased sex drive, galactorrhoea, or infertility. Prolactin concentrations are also often requested in men as a follow-up to a low testosterone result.

    When a patient has a prolactinoma, prolactin concentrations may be used to monitor the growth of the tumour and its response to treatment. They may also be used at regular intervals to monitor for prolactinoma recurrence.

    Prolactin concentrations may be used with other hormone test results such as growth hormone, when your doctor suspects that you have more general hypopituitarism (low levels of pituitary function which result in decreased amounts of hormones being produced). Prolactin concentrations may also be monitored when you have a condition, or are taking medications, that affectsa medication (e.g. rispiridone), that affects dopamine (a brain chemical that controls the production of prolactin).

  • What does the test result mean?

    Men and non-pregnant women will normally have only small amounts of prolactin in their blood. The results are ideally interpreted knowing when the sample is collected. Concentrations will vary over a 24 hour period - rising during sleep and peaking in the morning. Ideally, your blood sample should be taken a couple of hours after waking up, preferably after you have been resting quietly for 30 minutes (although your doctor may have reasons for doing them at other times).

    High concentrations of prolactin (hyperprolactinaemia) are normal during pregnancy, and after childbirth while the mother is breastfeeding. High concentrations can also be seen with:

    • Prolactinomas
    • Other pituitary tumours and diseases
    • Drugs: Oestrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, and drugs that block the effect of dopamine (a brain chemical that controls the production of prolactin) such as tranquilizers, some hypertension drugs (medications taken for high blood pressure), and some drugs that are used to treat gastro-oesophageal reflux (heart burn)
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Hypothalamic diseases
    • Anorexia nervosa
    • Kidney disease
    • Nipple stimulation (small increase)
    • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
    • Levels of prolactin that are below normal are not usually treated but may be indicative of a more general hypopituitarism (decreased pituitary function and decreased hormone production). Low levels may also be caused by drugs such as dopamine, levodopa, and ergot alkaloid derivatives.
  • Is there anything else I should know?

    Stress from illness, trauma, work and personal problems, and even the fear of having a blood test done can cause moderate increases in prolactin concentration.

    Prolactinomas are often small. Following evidence of high prolactin concentrations in your blood, your doctor may request an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan of the brain to look for the presence of a tumour within the pituitary gland and, if present, to find both the size of the tumour and the size of the pituitary (which often enlarges).

     

  • What other tests may be done to evaluate an elevated prolactin?

    Testosterone (concentrations will usually be low in a male when prolactin is high), FSH, and LH (to help evaluate ovulation and fertility in women), an MRI scan of the brain (to show pituitary enlargement and help locate a tumour), and an eye examination (to evaluate visual disturbances) may be performed. Elevated prolactin concentrations require further laboratory tests make sure that the elevation is not due to macroprolactin (see below).

  • If I have an elevated prolactin, why is my doctor testing my thyroid?

    Increased levels of prolactin are often seen in people with hypothyroidism (although they do not cause it). If you have hyperprolactinaemia, your doctor will most likely test you for hypothyroidism.

  • How are prolactinomas treated?

    Prolactinomas are usually treated with medications that act like dopamine (such as bromocriptine or cabergoline). Treatment can reduce prolactin concentrations and symptoms and restore fertility. However, the medications may have to be taken for several months or years. Surgery is sometimes necessary if the prolactinomas are large or not responding to treatment. This surgery is delicate and requires an experienced surgeon. Sometimes, despite medication and/or surgery, the prolactinoma will return.

  • What is macroprolactin?

    Some people have an elevated prolactin concentration in their bloodstream because most of the prolactin is in a different form called macroprolactin. Macroprolactin does not come from the pituitary gland, it is not active in the body and does not indicate the presence of disease. If an elevated prolactin is found, further laboratory tests should be done to make sure that this is not due to macroprolactin.

  • I’m taking biotin Supplements – will these interfere with my prolactin blood test results?

    Biotin is a water- soluble B group vitamin found in some over the counter nutritional supplements. Biotin supplements, nutritional supplements containing biotin or other nutritional supplements (which may contain biotin even if the label does not state this as an ingredient) canmay cause an interference in the prolactin result measured by some laboratories (interference is dependent upon the method used to measure prolacactin).

    Biotin can cause the prolactin result to be falsely lower than the original result measured without any biotin present.

    It is important to tell your doctor if you are taking any nutritional supplements at the time of having the blood test to measure prolactin taken.

  • How does biotin interfere with the prolactin result?

    Biotin interferes with the blood test analysis process and detection of the prolactin within the blood sample, when using certain methods. Not all methods are affected. Biotin is measured as well as the desired substance (in this case prolactin), and therefore produces an abnormal lower result than would be expected if there was no biotin present within the blood sample.

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