Prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It’s also known as PRL or lactogenic hormone. Prolactin is mainly used to help women produce milk after childbirth.
A prolactin test measures the amount of the hormone prolactin in your blood. This is why women who are breastfeeding (and thus have high levels of prolactin) usually don’t become pregnant. These high prolactin levels are often caused by prolactinoma, which causes a tumor to grow on your pituitary gland.
The normal values for prolactin are: Males: less than 20 ng/dL (425 mIU/L ) Nonpregnant females: 5 to 40 ng/dL (106 to 850 mIU/L) Pregnant women: 80 to 400 ng/dL (1,700 to 8,500 mIU/L)
