High Prolactin levels.

AvonEnniskerry

So I am starting a new thread as the ohters I can find seem to be over a year old and I think it would benefit having a new one for ppl to respond to...

I am 23 (though I am young I wish to be taken seriously as many docs have not done this) and myself and my husband have been trying for a child for over 2 years. At 1st I came off the pill bacause I simply didn't want to be taking it anymore, didn't think it was good for my body. So nothing happened and I didn't really think much of it until in November last year I had an early miscarriage. Myself and my husband were thrilled at the prospect of having a child. So we kept trying and nothing happpened.
So I went to 3 doctors.
The 1st told me as everything was in working order there was no reason I should not be able to conceive.
The 2nd done my bloods while I was in and told me I was young and that there was prob nothing wrong with me.
The 3rd said I was young and that I still had plenty of time... but I persisted and she agreed to do all the proper tests. Starting with repeating my bloods and doing them correctly this time...
The results came back that I had high prolactin levels (840 minus macro-prolactin) so I have been referred to St Vincents endocrine lab.
I sent the referral over a month ago and am still waiting on a response...

What am I to expect. I understand a MRI scan followed by medication but the waiting is infuriating...

I am lucky that I have time on my side as I can only imagine what it would be like catching something like this in your late 30's...

Neyite

AvonEnniskerry wrote: »

So I am starting a new thread as the ohters I can find seem to be over a year old and I think it would benefit having a new one for ppl to respond to...

I am 23 (though I am young I wish to be taken seriously as many docs have not done this) and myself and my husband have been trying for a child for over 2 years. At 1st I came off the pill bacause I simply didn't want to be taking it anymore, didn't think it was good for my body. So nothing happened and I didn't really think much of it until in November last year I had an early miscarriage. Myself and my husband were thrilled at the prospect of having a child. So we kept trying and nothing happpened.
So I went to 3 doctors.
The 1st told me as everything was in working order there was no reason I should not be able to conceive.
The 2nd done my bloods while I was in and told me I was young and that there was prob nothing wrong with me.
The 3rd said I was young and that I still had plenty of time... but I persisted and she agreed to do all the proper tests. Starting with repeating my bloods and doing them correctly this time...
The results came back that I had high prolactin levels (840 minus macro-prolactin) so I have been referred to St Vincents endocrine lab.
I sent the referral over a month ago and am still waiting on a response...

What am I to expect. I understand a MRI scan followed by medication but the waiting is infuriating...

I am lucky that I have time on my side as I can only imagine what it would be like catching something like this in your late 30's...

Well, I am in my mid thirties and was diagnosed July last year. Had the MRI in November, by Christmas my levels were grand thanks to the medication, went to the endocrinologist in March, and returned to the fertility clinic in June, as I still had not fallen pregnant. They put me on clomid and I concieved in August. Baby is due in May. Its hard to believe that this time last year I was just finding out about my microadenoma, yet I am 4 months pregnant now.

If prolactin is the issue, then its one of the easier causes of infertility to fix. I do agree that sometimes the doctors "wait and see" approach can be infuriating. We went private for most of the last year. Our fertility consultant prescribed the bromocriptine so I was happy to wait for a public appointment for the Endocrinologist as I was taking the meds anyway. I could have always switched to private if I got fed up I suppose. It still took 4 months before I got seen, but hopefully the Dublin system moves quicker for you.

Best of luck on your journey, and hope your happy outcome arrives soon!

AvonEnniskerry

Neyite wrote: »

They put me on clomid and I concieved in August. Baby is due in May. Its hard to believe that this time last year I was just finding out about my microadenoma, yet I am 4 months pregnant now.

If prolactin is the issue, then its one of the easier causes of infertility to fix.

Thank you so much for your response. That is fantastic news. Congratulations. I had developed the impression that it took a few years for your prolactin levels to settle...

I am kind of glad they found something as it gives us something to work towards. It was really irritating being told I was fine when nothing was happening. My partner has to get checked now as well so we do not know if this is the only issue we are dealing with but it's a start...

AvonEnniskerry

Just thought i'd let you know I got my referral letter today. Going in in March.

Brazzer

Best of luck Avon, hope all goes well for you :-)

b2dadizzle

My wife got results a few weeks ago, and the doctor told her that her levels were a bit higher than they should be. So today, she had her appointment with the endocronologist (is that how you spell it???). He told her that it could be caused by one of two things. One is stress, the second is a tumour on the gland. I'm just praying that it's stress.
We've been trying for over a year now for a baby, and getting nowhere. It's probably a lot harder on my wife than it is on me, as I know how much she wants a baby, and how great a mother she would be.
She has to go back for bloods in January, she's to get them taken twice, and tested immediately.
Hopefully everything will work out, as it's absolutely breaking my heart to see how upset she gets every month when her period starts.
As I said, hopefully next year will bring better luck.

Neyite

b2dadizzle wrote: »

My wife got results a few weeks ago, and the doctor told her that her levels were a bit higher than they should be. So today, she had her appointment with the endocronologist (is that how you spell it???). He told her that it could be caused by one of two things. One is stress, the second is a tumour on the gland. I'm just praying that it's stress.
We've been trying for over a year now for a baby, and getting nowhere. It's probably a lot harder on my wife than it is on me, as I know how much she wants a baby, and how great a mother she would be.
She has to go back for bloods in January, she's to get them taken twice, and tested immediately.
Hopefully everything will work out, as it's absolutely breaking my heart to see how upset she gets every month when her period starts.
As I said, hopefully next year will bring better luck.

Hugs - I've been exactly where your wife is. Been there, had the tumor. If it is that, you are actually better off, as the tablets sort it out right away, but if its stress, then its harder to destress (especially when trying for a baby and getting nowhere) While high prolatcin was identified with me, within a month my levels were perfect so I should have concieved, but it seems I had other issues and needed a little extra help and started fertility treatment in June. But just over a year into the diagnosis, I am 18 weeks pregnant .

If prolactin is preventing your wife from getting pregnant, its the easiest and cheapest of infertility issues to resolve.

AvonEnniskerry

b2dadizzle wrote: »

One is stress, the second is a tumour on the gland. I'm just praying that it's stress.
We've been trying for over a year now for a baby, and getting nowhere. It's probably a lot harder on my wife than it is on me, as I know how much she wants a baby, and how great a mother she would be.

You sound like a fantastic and very understanding husband.
My husband had to go in today for a semen analysise, It's just to make sure that there arn't other issues before just focusing on a single one.

I think it's tough being told something showed up in your bloods. I don't think I took it well at all, but then I thought about it and I think it's worse to be told you are ok even though you do not seem to be getting pregnant.
I have researched and looked into this and I think i'll agree with Neyite that at least there is medication for this that helps...

I think it's mad though, you are bought up believing that you just have to look at the other sex to get pregnant and it can be difficult to come to terms with the fact that this is not so.

Let me know how her scan goes and best of luck...

LegacyUser

Hi All

I am following this thread and although it's inactive now, it's really helpful. Thank you for the OP who is now pregnant, two years later, and then the other OP from before Christmas, for starting the conversation again.

My story: I have been trying for 12 months to conceive. My lovely husband and I are getting frustrated as everybody (I mean....everybody!!!) is having babies or getting pregnant. Nobody seems to have any issues conceiving, so I have become deflated and introspective, avoiding certain events adn parties and wishing it was me. A selfish attitude, and so juvenile. I guess it's a fixation.

In January I started acupuncture and decided to get bloods done. Turns out I have high prolactin (780 and 640). Have another set of blood tests coming back this month, as decided to double check if this is a consistent problem, or just a fluke. I am quite a hyper person so perhaps it's stress? The acu ought to be helping that.

I have an appointment with an endocrinologist in the Mater next week, so I certainly am proactive. Going private as it's speeding up the process. But I just wonder how long this whole thing will take. I am 33 and turning 34 in September. So the panic is setting in. Will she just do lots more tests, and we'll have no news for months?

Any thoughts or support, please post!

Hoping xxx

Neyite

With me, I was on the meds within a week of meeting the fertility doctor, and my levels were back to normal within a month. I was diagnosed in November 2010, and by christmas levels were perfect.

I then saw the endocrinologist in March 2011. She reckoned that the prolactin, while it was slightly high, was not preventing me from getting pregnant, so since we were told to give the Bromocriptine 6 months we did, and went back to the fertility clinic in June 2011. It seems that my ovaries needed a little Clomid kick, separate issue to the prolactin I'd say. On the third Clomid cycle I got pregnant, and am due in just over 9 weeks. Oh, and I'm 37.

Being hyper probably contributes to your levels, and will also affect your TTC efforts. I know its an annoying cliche being told to calm down, and I hated it myself when everyone around me was getting knocked up. Acupuncture is a great idea, I did yoga for a while and started a running programme - its really important to have some relaxation time for you. TTC gets stressful very quickly if you let it.

AvonEnniskerry

I just want answers!! it's been well over 2 years since We started trying and I got sick of everyone telling me I was fine because I was young (23). It is true that you seem to notice more people being pregnat or having kids when your are trying yourself... It's all I seem to see these days. My doctor referred me on publically.. Im not sure why as I have insurance but I have been waiting over 3 months for my appointment with the endocrinologist... It's this Thurs....

I'll let you know what happens

LegacyUser

That's good information Neyrite, thanks. Avonenniskerry - sorry you are so frustrated. Yes, you do need answers. At least your appointment is imminent.

I am hoping that this endocrinology appointment (also on Thursday!!?!!) will help somewhat. It's hard to 'calm' down and 'relax' as everybody says... I don't think I'm that manic really. I do very little in the evenings after work and have cut down on coffee and alcohol - not completely though! Back in the gym since January too. As I said I am doing acupuncture which is a god-send, even just to meet with the acupuncturist every week and have a focul point for this issue is great.

I will update y'all on what the appointment was like on Thursday. Do the same Avon, if you can.

Hoping x

AvonEnniskerry

Looking forward to hearing from you HopingFor2012

I went into St Vincents University hospital this morning to the Endocrine clinic. And I was very happy with them... While yes there was a bit of waiting, I thought the staff were polite and kind. And I felt they gave me enough of there time to be satisfied...
However I will be going in to get my bloods done for 3 consecutive months Before returning on the 4th month to discuss the results... This is because my prolactin levels have only been picked up in one blood test. However it appears from those previous results that I ovulated even with the high prolactin levels... So in the next 3 tests they will check to see if the prolactn is sometimes affecting me? They do not seem to think there are any problems with my pituitary glands as I am having no symptons... This means if my tests come back that the prolactin is not preventing me from ovulating there will be further testing...
So a little more patience is needed...

I am a friend

Avon make sure the bloods arent being done first thing in the morning as that can give a false high prolactin result. I know because I had that problem..

AvonEnniskerry

I've heard this alright... the last ones were taken early in the morning as it's the only time i can get in with work...
I think I gonna try and get them done while i'm on my breaks or something?

I am a friend

AvonEnniskerry wrote: »

I've heard this alright... the last ones were taken early in the morning as it's the only time i can get in with work...
I think I gonna try and get them done while i'm on my breaks or something?

Yep do cos I had a false positive result before. The Doc called the lab or encrinologist (cant remember) while I was there to check the result and was told it could be due to the time of day.. It was...

Good luck

AvonEnniskerry

Ok so, I am still trying. Have been back to vincents. Bloods are all ok. Prolactin is high but not causing any problems. Referred onto gynacologist and then back into endocrine at a later stage for more bloods. The waiting is hard but I dunno which is better.. for them to find soemthing so they can fix it or for nothing to be wrong at all...

b2dadizzle

Hi All, It's been a good while since I posted here. just wanted to give everyone a bit of hope. Yesterday morning, out of the blue, my wife did a test and it was positive. She's 2-3 weeks pregnant. To say that I'm over the moon would bethe greatest understatement ever. I can't believe it. Only last week, we were discussing whether to keep trying or look into other options like IVF, adoption, etc. So, for all you people ttc, please don't give up hope. It will happen for you, please God, and when it does, it'll be the greatest feeling ever. B.

baron von something

my wife had routine bloods taken in '09 and it came back that she had very high levels of prolactin and was told that she could probably never conceive.within a month we were expecting,so the doctor never followed up on it.since then we've tried again and now have a 7week old baby.

AvonEnniskerry

Thank you for the update B2dadizzle. I too have news. After 3 years of trying and a miscarriage I am currently 7weeks pregnant. However I am not telling anyone but immediate family untill I am 3months gone. Best of luck with the pregnancy and congratulations.

helserbelser

Not sure does anyone still look at this post,but found all so helpful....but here's my story so far...

Mc year ago...couldn't get pregnant since so doc did bloods in sept...prolactin came back at 805, that explained a lot of symptoms I have been having alright

Decided to try acupuncture to relax. Going public to see endocrinologist could take up to a year and doc referred me to gynae as well
.
Doc decided to do more bloods before looking for private consultant who deals in prolactin, she just rang me there and results are now back down to 290(normal)
...can't believe it,she said I could do repeat tests beg of dec
Roller coaster of emotions,I am 37 now so haven't much time

AvonEnniskerry

Glad to hear it's back down. Prolactin levels can be affected by the time of day and by stress levels. Be careful stressing about how much time you have though as this could have a negative effect on your trying to conceive.
Once myself and my husband were both content with where we were in life.. Both changed jobs, moved house, etc we conceived straight away.
Best of luck

helserbelser

Thanks AvonEnniskerry, how are you getting on, last post I see was from Dec 2012 with your good news...hows all with you 10 months on?:O)

How did you get on with Gynae in the end? Doc had referred me to Gynae and Endocrinologist, but now prolactin normal so will have more bloods done in Dec, and keep trying in the meantime:O) ahh not worrying too much about my age, but never expected all this to happen and now another year is nearly gone.
Were you put on medication in the end or just monitored?

AvonEnniskerry

10months on I'm now the proud mom to a beautiful 10 week old baby girl. I was referred to Vincent's. Spent a couple of months having bloods monitored and having check ups. My high prolactin appeared to be due to stress not the route cause of my infertility. Was given the all clear and referred onto st micheals to have key hole surgery to ensure there were no blockages etc. I found out I was pregnant just ahead of going in for the procedure.
Was never put on medication. I was only 23 when all this started so they had time on their side I suppose. But I had 3accidents when I was younger that pptentially could have affected my fertility.
And I never really expected to have any problems but spent 3years trying to conceive. Unfortunately we are bought up with the mentality that it is so easy to get pregnant when in actual fact a lot has to happen in order to conceive. Some ppl are lucky and others have to keep trying.
Best of luck

helserbelser

awee AvonEnniskerry Congratulations :O) delighted all worked out for you in the end:O)
so true we all think its so easy to get pregnant but its not for some:O(
so how did they know that the prolactin was due to high stress levels?? What was the root cause to your infertility if you don't mind me asking?

AvonEnniskerry

My prolactin levels were only high at certain times, for example first thing in the morning, also they didn't remain high throughout all the testing. Day 1? And 21 bloods were tested each month. They then concluded that as my prolactin wasn't constantly high that it would have just been affected due to stress.

As to why it took three years to conceive. I never found out as I got pregnant before testing finished. I hope it doesn't take so long to conceive when we try for our next one but at least I'll have the piece of mind in knowing that it is possible.

Try and get your partner checked out as well as this will rule out low sperm count or slow movers right from the start.
Avonenniskerry

maguic24

i know its been a while since anyone commented but I too have high prolactin. I have been going for blood tests in the morning and I am just wondering if you need to fast before bloods test specifically to do with prolactin?

Thankfully, I'm not trying to get pregnan (only 22) but I'm losing my hair, getting headaches and periods have been all over the place!! I just want to get it sorted asap. I feel your pain Avonenniskerry, very frustrating when the doctor won't take you seriously because you are young!! Thankfully my doctor is doing further blood tests to see if it's stress or something else causing the high prolactin!

helserbelser

No I had bloods done a few times and only fast when they checked for thyroid....you don't need to fast in the morning maguic....how high are your results ? Mine were 850, they eventually came down after ten months

helserbelser

How is the pregnancy going avon? I am ten weeks pregnant,two months after prolactin came back to normal I conceived .....still don't know why it was up!

maguic24

helserbelser wrote: »

No I had bloods done a few times and only fast when they checked for thyroid....you don't need to fast in the morning maguic....how high are your results ? Mine were 850, they eventually came down after ten months

They are up in the mid 700's, my periods have been crazy since July and I have been losing my hair since then as well. I thought nothing of it but mentioned it to my doc when I was sick the last time. He sent me for a blood test and discovered my prolactin was high. Was just in James's today for another blood test.

helserbelser

God poor you did u get results from today yet? Hair loss sounds like stress

maguic24

helserbelser wrote: »

God poor you did u get results from today yet? Hair loss sounds like stress

Nope, I'll have to ring the doctor in week to see but he said bloods will have to be taken throughout the month to see if it's rising and dropping. I'm not really that stressed though...:-/. Maybe I am subconsciously...?? But could it actually be stress for that length of time??? :O

helserbelser

could be for this length of time subconsiously...but if you aren't stressing though Maguic?

maguic24

helserbelser wrote: »

could be for this length of time subconsiously...but if you aren't stressing though Maguic?

I don't know. The doc said it could be a small prolactinoma but not to worry too much as meds will sort it out. He said it was very common. My period arrived yesterday, 4 days early, last month it was 7 days late. It's very frustrating as I never know when it will be and it used to be very regular, as I would know exactly what day it would come on.

jm84

Hi Ladies,

maguic24 its so hard waiting for those results esp when a doctor says it could be a small prolactinema...I was told I had high prolactin levels last July, mine were about 1800, and had 3 blood tests since then, one went down to 800 but then back up, been on medication since July, endo doubled it in december and still no bfp! but Avonenniskerry your success story gives hope!

maguic24

jm84 wrote: »

Hi Ladies,

maguic24 its so hard waiting for those results esp when a doctor says it could be a small prolactinema...I was told I had high prolactin levels last July, mine were about 1800, and had 3 blood tests since then, one went down to 800 but then back up, been on medication since July, endo doubled it in december and still no bfp! but Avonenniskerry your success story gives hope!

I rang the doc today, the results are in but the secretary can't give them out so I am waiting for the doc to call. We'll see what happens then, I'll probs have to go in. Sorry to hear that, I'm sure once the prolactin goes back to normal you'll be pregnant in no time.

Chass88

Not sure if this post is still active... I too have high prolactin. Doc ran tests after I complained of irregular/frequent periods, and migraines and prolactin results came back high (730) and have been referred to mater endocrinology dept. Has anyone had severe migraines as well as high prolactin? I am not trying to conceive right now, but am concerned about migraines. Referral letter was sent about 2 months ago, but have not heard or received any word back yet. I don't want to react unless I'm told there is something, but also I just don't know enough about what prolactin affects. Just looking to find out a bit more information from someone who has been/ or is in same situation

Nettle

Hey, I am not sure if this thread is still active but hopefully somebody can help me with some answers. I have high prolactin levels it's in the 4000 region. I am waiting for the Referral appointment. I have read the possible side effects of the medication prescribed by the doctors and I have to admit the side effects sound pretty scary. I am not trying to conceive so I am wary of taking the medication due to the possible side effects. Can anybody tell me how bad are the side effects. Please

Neyite

I didnt have side effects, so it can depend on the person. Perhaps discuss it with your endocrinologist to see what they say?

Nettle

Thanks neyite, I discussed stuff with my gp, she said that unless I was trying to conceive there was no major rush. I got a fright when I looked up the meds myself. Nothing like Dr Google to frighten peeps!