What the Prolactin Test (PRL) measures
Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Its main job is to start and maintain breast milk production after childbirth, but it also affects the hormones that control periods, ovulation and sperm production. A prolactin level that is higher than expected can cause irregular or missed periods, difficulty becoming pregnant, a milky discharge from the nipples when not breastfeeding, and in men, low sex drive or erection problems. Prolactin is naturally high in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Outside those times, a raised level has many possible causes: stress, poor sleep, an underactive thyroid, kidney disease, a number of commonly used medicines (including some for acidity, nausea, mood and mental health), and, less often, a benign growth of the pituitary gland called a prolactinoma. Some people also have a large, mostly inactive form of prolactin in the blood, called macroprolactin, which raises the reading without causing symptoms; a laboratory can check for it if the result does not fit the picture. Because so many everyday factors can raise prolactin, a mildly raised result is usually repeated before further tests are planned.
Price: the Prolactin Test (PRL) costs ₹440 at Pure Bliss (MRP ₹550), with the sample collected at our Action Area 2, New Town centre or at your home.
Who this test is for
- Irregular or missed periods, or difficulty becoming pregnant
- A milky nipple discharge when not pregnant or breastfeeding
- Men with low sex drive, erection problems or breast enlargement
- Follow-up of a known raised prolactin or a pituitary condition, as advised
How to prepare, the sample, and when to expect the report
Preparation
Fasting is not required. A morning sample, a couple of hours after waking, is usually preferred, and it helps to sit quietly for a few minutes before the sample. Avoid heavy exercise, sexual activity and breast or nipple stimulation for a day before. Keep taking your medicines, but tell us what you take, as several medicines raise prolactin.
Sample
Blood, from a vein in the arm (serum).
Reporting time
Within 24 hours.
Reading the result
Prolactin ranges differ between laboratories and between men and women, and values are naturally higher in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. A mildly raised result is commonly repeated before it is acted on, because stress, sleep and many medicines can raise it. Reference ranges differ between laboratories, so your report lists the laboratory’s own range beside each value. A result outside the range does not always mean illness; ask your doctor to explain it.
- Centre or home collection
- NABL-accredited Redcliffe Labs collection centre
- How collection works →
The Prolactin Test (PRL) can be booked at the clinic in Action Area 2 or with a home collection from 7:30 AM. Patients come to us from Action Area 1, Action Area 3, Rajarhat, Chinar Park, Salt Lake Sector V, Sukhobrishti and Eco Park.