What are the precautions for rechecking prolactin?

Prolactin is a very important hormone in the human body, especially for women. When women are young, prolactin is used to promote breast growth and development. After women give birth, prolactin can promote the secretion of milk. In people's daily lives, many people will have increased prolactin levels, which requires special attention and examination. Prolactin disorders need to be reviewed. Here are some things to pay attention to when reviewing prolactin levels.

What is the best time to retest prolactin?

The best time to recheck prolactin is generally 3 to 6 months after treatment, when endocrine examination can be performed again to determine whether the patient's condition has improved.

Prolactin, also known as prolactin, is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. The secretion of prolactin is pulsed and varies greatly throughout the day. The pulse amplitude of prolactin secretion increases rapidly within 1 hour of sleep, then the secretion remains at a high level during sleep and begins to decline after waking up. Elevated prolactin is medically known as hyperprolactinemia. Generally, the first choice of treatment is drug therapy, followed by surgery and radiotherapy. The treatment course is generally about 3 months. Therefore, the best time to recheck prolactin is generally 3 to 6 months after treatment to perform another endocrine examination to determine whether the patient's condition has improved.

Precautions for prolactin re-examination

1. Check estrogen (estradiol), progesterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, also after venous serum separation, each requiring 2 ml.

2. Check luteinizing hormone. Although it is also a radioimmunoassay test, since luteinizing hormone is secreted in a pulsed manner, it is best to collect samples 3-4 times within 1 hour and then mix them together for measurement, which is more accurate.

3. Prolactin should be checked on an empty stomach, with serum drawn around 9 a.m.

4. Before the examination, do not take sex hormone drugs indiscriminately. If you do take them, you should check after the hormones are completely excreted to avoid misdiagnosis.

5. Pay attention to the specific time of the examination, medication before the examination, and some special methods during the examination.

6. Those with genital abnormalities and suspected endocrine diseases should undergo six serum endocrine tests. This will allow a clear diagnosis as early as possible and provide a basis for various subsequent treatments.

How to check prolactin

1. Perform a full-body physical examination and pay attention to the presence of acromegaly, myxedema, etc. Gynecological examination can determine whether the genitals and sexual characteristics are atrophic or have organic lesions. When examining the breasts, pay attention to size, shape, presence of lumps, and galactorrhea due to inflammation (gently squeeze the breasts with both hands). Nature and amount of spillage.

2. Endocrine function tests mainly focus on pituitary function, ovarian function, thyroid function, adrenal function, and pancreatic function. Through endocrine function tests, the size of endocrine values ​​can be checked to determine the disease.

3. Auxiliary examination: If hyperprolactinemia occurs, it is very likely related to a pituitary tumor. Therefore, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations can be performed to help determine whether it is a pituitary tumor.