Prolactin is a hormone that directly participates in the ovulation process, and stimulates the release of breast milk (lactation) in the postpartum period. At the same time, prolactin inhibits the production of follicle-stimulating hormone during the current pregnancy. The change in the level of prolactin leads to the fact that the follicle does not develop, and as a result - ovulation is absent. It is her absence that can also be a symptom of low prolactin in women, which is why a woman can not become pregnant.
How does the concentration of prolactin in women change?
During the day, the hormone prolactin is released into the woman's blood unevenly. Therefore, in medicine, it is said that the synthesis of this hormone is of a pulsating nature. So, during the rest of the body - sleep, its concentration in the body increases. With awakening, it falls sharply and reaches a minimum in the morning. After midday, the concentration of prolactin increases.
Also, the level of this hormone directly depends on the individual phase of the menstrual cycle. For example, in the lutein phase, the level of the hormone in the blood is higher than in the follicular phase. Ironically, this hormone is contained in the blood of men. He is responsible both for the process of education, and for the proper development of spermatozoa, and also contributes to the production of testosterone by the body.
Reduced prolactin
As already mentioned above, the concentration of prolactin in the body is not at a constant level and depends on many factors. So, in the absence of stressful situations in a woman, the level of this hormone is normal. The low level of prolactin in women speaks about the presence in the body of a certain kind of diseases, and also can negatively affect the planning of pregnancy.
Often the low level of prolactin in women can indicate the presence of such a pathology as Shimakh's syndrome. This disease is manifested by pituitary insufficiency, which is often observed during bleeding during childbirth . In addition, a decreased content of prolactin in a woman's blood can be a sign of apoplexy of the pituitary gland.
A low level of prolactin during long periods of pregnancy acts as an indicator and once again can confirm its pererachivaemost.
Low prolactin may be a consequence of taking medications, for example, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and morphine.