| Laboratory: | Clinical Biochemistry (AUTOMATED) | |||||||||||
| Test Name: |
PROLACTIN - (P)
Test Code:
PL
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| Clinical Information: |
Test Indications: This test is used in the evaluation of pituitary tumors, amenorrhea, galactorrhea, infertility and hypogonadism. It is also used to monitor therapy of prolactin-producing adenomas. Prolactin is secreted by the anterior pituitary under the control of the hypothalamus. Its primary function is to promote breast development in preparation for lactation. It also affects gonadal function in both females and males via hypothalamic-pituitary control of gonadotropin secretion.
Note: Stress during blood collection, many commonly used drugs (see more info below), including oral contraceptives, may cause hyperprolactinemia. Conditions such as kidney disease, primary hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency and PCOS have been implicated in increased levels of prolactin. Prolactin can be elevated in a number of physiological states: pregnancy, breast feeding, exercise, sleep, and foods high in proteins. Patient Preparation Instructions: Multivitamins (45–125 µg biotin) or biotin-only supplements up to 1 mg per day do not interfere with this test. Samples should not be taken from patients receiving therapy with high biotin doses (i.e. >5 mg/day) until at least 8 hours after the last dose. |
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| Collection Devices: |
Acceptable specimen include serum with or without gel
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| Specimen Required: |
Plasma: 2.0 mL
Collection Information: Preferred sample collection is 3-4 hours after waking (e.g. physiological peak), but any time of collection is acceptable. Avoid stress during blood collection. Specimen Stability: Ambient: 5 days Refrigerated: 14 days Frozen: 6 months |
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| Referral: |
Serum: 2.0 mL
Samples must be transferred to an aliquot tube and stored frozen if analysis will not be complete within 48 hours (#110-10-05 Serum / Plasma Separation Procedure & Transport)
Shipping & Storage: Aliquot and ship frozen if analysis will not be complete within 48h. |
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| Requisition: | ||||||||||||
| Reference Values: |
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| Availability: |
Daily
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| See Also: | ||||||||||||
| More Information: |
Interpretation & Assay Interferences: Drugs and medications are the most common cause of non-tumoral hyperprolactinemia. For example, oral contraceptive pill, anesthetics, antihypertensives, antihistamines (H2), anticonvulsants, antidepressants, cholinergic agonists, dopamine receptor blockers, dopamine synthesis inhibitors, etc. The neuroleptics and anti-psychotic drugs can also cause hyperprolactinemia (e.g. 50-100% of patients on respiradone).
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