What happens if prolactin is too high?

High prolactin is a common disease nowadays, which can cause many unnecessary symptoms, so you should pay attention to regulating it in normal times. Generally, if high prolactin is not treated in time, it will lead to abnormal menstrual volume and a small amount of milk secretion. Even in the non-lactation period, there will be such symptoms. Bone density begins to decrease, and the body's hormone levels decrease, which can cause infertility and amenorrhea.

Symptom analysis: High prolactin levels can cause the following symptoms:

1. Menstrual irregularities: primary amenorrhea 4%, secondary amenorrhea 89%, oligomenorrhea or too little menstruation 7%. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding and corpus luteum dysfunction account for 23% to 77%. Ovulatory dysfunction and luteal insufficiency are manifested by oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea and infertility, which are the most common symptoms. Other related symptoms include habitual abortion, loss of libido, hirsutism, acne, etc. Gynecological examination may reveal symptoms of estrogen deficiency, such as dry vaginal mucosa and decreased secretions.

2. Galactorrhea: Milk can be seen by squeezing both breasts, and fat droplets can be seen under the microscope. In the non-tumor type, it was 20.84%. 70.52% of the tumor type. Simple galactorrhea: 63-83.55%. The breasts are usually normal or with lobular hyperplasia or macromastia.

3. Osteopenia: The long-term decrease in estrogen levels caused by HP can cause a decrease in bone density.

4. When the prolactin level is high, visual impairment, nervous system diseases, hypopituitarism, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea and other diseases may occur.

Influencing factors 1. Nerve stimulation : Irritation of certain parts of the skin, especially the chest, including severe pain caused by peripheral nerve damage, can be transmitted to the hypothalamus through nerves and cause an increase in prolactin. Such as chest surgery, burns, shingles on the chest and back, etc.

2. Pituitary disorders: mainly various tumors in the pituitary area. In addition, some cases of empty sella syndrome and hyperpituitarism can also cause galactorrhea and amenorrhea.

3. Drug factors: Sedatives that act on the central nervous system, such as chlorpromazine, morphine, etc., can reduce the content of catecholamines in the hypothalamus, thereby reducing the activity of prolactin-releasing factor produced by the hypothalamus. Antihypertensive drugs such as methyldopa and reserpine can inhibit the release of prolactin inhibitory factor. Metoclopramide can stimulate excessive secretion of prolactin from the pituitary gland.

4. Primary hypothyroidism : When the thyroid function is hypothyroid, the information of insufficient thyroid secretion is transmitted to the hypothalamus through feedback, causing the hypothalamus to produce a large amount of thyrotropin-releasing factor. This factor, while stimulating the pituitary gland to secrete thyroid-stimulating hormone, can also stimulate the excessive secretion of pituitary prolactin and cause galactorrhea.

5. Hypothalamic disorders: Diseases of the hypothalamus and adjacent areas, such as encephalitis, craniopharyngeal tumor, pineal tumor, partial hypothalamic infarction, pseudotumor cerebri, pituitary stalk transection, etc., can cause a decrease in prolactin-inhibiting factor produced by the hypothalamus, or an increase in prolactin-releasing factor and thyroid-stimulating hormone-releasing factor. The former can cause prolactin to be produced blindly due to the loss of inhibition, while the latter two directly promote the increase of prolactin production.