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High Prolactin

Posted , 6 users are following.

martina999
martina999

Hi , Im 32yrs old and I've just had my hormone blood results back and my prolactin level was 629mIU/L . My gp said i need to be referred to a gynaecologist or endocrinologist as he believes this is the cause of my infertility

As we've been trying to conceive for 14 months. He mentioned the possibility of me needing a CT or MRI scan to check for growths within the pituitary gland.

i have no clue what the other results mean as i was took by surprise with the prolactin levels as a previous gp told me all my ovulation pain etc was put down to IBS which clearly was a wrong diagnosis and i let him know each time he tried to prescribe medication for an issue I don't have.

Ive been told to expect a minimum wait of 16 weeks for a referral, is this a normal wait time? Im based in Birmingham

Can anyone offer any insight?

The bloods were drawn on cd28

My levels are:

Prolactin 629mIU/L

LH 5.4 iu/L

FSH 2.1 iu/L

Testosterone 1.5 nmol/L

TSH 0.92 mu/L

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • jefffcc
    jefffcc martina999

    Posted

    high prolactin level can be related to pituatary issues. don't assume... But do u have headaches blurry vision , sensitive to light, body fatigue, muscle weakness....?

    Get a mri of brain to rule out any pituitary tumors a neurologist is what you need to see after endocrinolost.... most women are lacking on b12, gluthalione, b6, vitamins e, omega3, choline.... with high prolactin cause low estrogen.... check if you have high iron levels or fetterin levels... this will cause fertility issues...

    • martina999
      martina999 jefffcc

      Posted

      Hi Jefffcc, yes i suffer with headaches on a daily basis. I take a lot of the supplements you mentioned above so i know im not lacking in them and my iron levels came back as normal.
    • sheryl37154
      sheryl37154 martina999

      Posted

      Ask for an Iron Studies test which includes ferritin levels, transferrin saturation % plus serum iron.  The iron levels in a complete blood count is not a full investigation of iron.  This is what jeffcc was trying to suggest.

      I was found to have a prolactinoma after suffering awful symptoms for 6 years.  A different dr thought of it immediately.  It makes oestogen ineffective, thus possible cause of infertility.

      Carbergoline is the medication for excess prolactin.

      It is a pity your dr can't speed up process.

       

  • Sheepcoat
    Sheepcoat martina999

    Posted

    Hi Martina,

    I have had the same problem as you with the prolactin for the past 5 years. My current prolactin level is 804 but 2 years ago it was around the same as yours. High prolactin can be caused by a number of conditions/disorders or diseases (including thyroid disease) but your GP will need to investigate what the cause may be, and it is good that s/he is referring you straight to an endocrinologist who can investigate things further.

    16 weeks seems a very long time to wait to see the endo!! I am also based just outside Birmingham and definitely didn't have to wait that long on the NHS. However, I didn't have any luck at the QE and am now seeing a private endo.

    Do you mean your bloods were drawn on day 28 of your cycle? If so, your LH should be between 0.5-15 and your FSH should be between 1.6- 7.2. Your levels are actually very similar to mine as my FSH was exactly the same as yours and my LH was 4.4. Your TSH  level is the thyroid stimulating hormone and detects whether your thyroid gland is working properly. It is leaning more towards being overactive rather than under, but a thyroid problem may not be the cause of your high prolactin. To be able to detect a thyroid problem, the endocrinologist should also test T4/T3 and thyroid antibodies, as TSH on its own cannot detect a thyroid issue so please ask the endo to test the others I've mentioned. The endo can prescribe cabergoline to lower the prolactin level (which I am currently taking) but the underlying cause needs to be detected ideally.

     

    • martina999
      martina999 Sheepcoat

      Posted

      Hi Sheepcoat, thanx for your reply. My gp has tested my thyroid 3 times and its come back normal each time. I agree that 16 weeks is excessive but unfortunately my gp said thats the current wait as he tried to get me seen sooner due to a further increase in my levels and my headaches are increasingly. Im having the test redone on next week and he said depending on the results he will try again to up my appointment. Yes the bloods were takin on day 28 of my cycle my gp also said them results are perfectly fine, he said the numbers were good considering it was 15 days since i had ovulated.
    • Sheepcoat
      Sheepcoat martina999

      Posted

      Hi Martina, did your GP test TSH, T4, T3 and also thyroid antibodies? TSH alone is not enough to diagnose a thyroid issue, but I'm sure your endocrinologist will test the other ones as it is their speciality.

      I think I had to wait about 6 weeks for my appointment..I really doubt you'll have to wait 16 weeks, that's ridiculous. Your prolactin level is only what doctors consider to be 'mildly' raised and they don't often even suspect a micro-tumour until it's over at least 1000! If your prolactin does shoot up then I'm sure your GP could refer you for an MRI while you are waiting to see the endo.

      Your LH and FSH are within the normal range for the luteal phase of your cycle (I've stated the ranges above). But as you can see, your levels are towards the lower ends of the ranges for that point in your cycle. It is the high prolactin that messes about with these hormones though, so if they treat you for the high prolactin, it *should* normalise your FSH/LH to what the levels were prior to your high prolactin.

      Do you have any other symptoms apart from the headaches?

    • martina999
      martina999 Sheepcoat

      Posted

      Thanks again for all your advice. I'm not sure about the other thyroid issues but I'll mention it to him on monday during my appointment. My other symptoms include double vision, painful breasts and lactation.
  • Sheepcoat
    Sheepcoat martina999

    Posted

    Hi Martina,

    your symptoms don't sound like a thyroid problem after all, but I'm sure the endo will know this and will test for whatever is necessary. There is a condition called hyperprolactinaemia where you can just have high prolactin for unknown reasons. Let me know how you get on at the doctor's.

  • BurlyPit
    BurlyPit martina999

    Posted

    Hi Martina,

    I had elevated levels of prolactin 3 yrs ago that were about 88 mg. I had missed periods, attributed that to stress. My doctor recommended an MRI of my pituitary gland to rule out a tumor and that's what it was. A pituitary adenoma. The symptoms you describe all point to the same thing. I am not a doctor, but speaking from experience. It's not as bad as it sounds, it was benign and life resumed back to normal after the endo prescribed me cabergoline.

    I highly recommend you have the MRI done prior to meeting with an endo. They really only prescribe meds and review test results. After a few months of taking the meds (I hated bromocrotine and so do many others) my period resumed and breasts were no longer lactating. These tumors are very common 1 in 6 people experience them and many only discover when having difficulty getting pregnant. The good news is that you are aware of the issue, whatever it may be, and can get treatment and soon resume your fertility desires. Best of luck to you!

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