Prolactin: the hormone that produces milk

As its name indicates, pro (for), lactina (milk), is the female hormone prolactin stimulates milk secretion. Such is the case, that during pregnancy along with estrogen and progesterone, which prepares for the breast after birth it produces milk.

Throughout the pregnancy, the pituitary gland is responsible for segregating increasing amounts of prolactin. This tiny gland, behaves like a plant hormone, and is below the principal organs of the central nervous system, behind the nose and eyes, in the midline.

Beyond pregnancy, prolactin have an important complementary role in the regulation of ovarian cycle. Circle in the blood in very small quantities.

When this hormone is produced in excess, interferes with ovulation being responsible for menstrual irregularities. This is a pathological situation, which undoubtedly should be corrected.

The causes of these disorders are varied and include the intake of medicines digestive antinauseosos, tranquilizers and sedatives, as well as the use of birth control pills. The stress and hypothyroidism also cause hiperprolactemia, but there is also the home purely pituitary: prolactin increases in the presence of adenomas (small tumors not carcinogenic in the pituitary gland) or micro adenomas (microscopic tumors).

In these cases, treatment is medication that can suspend stimulate its production in excess, to correct the hypothyroidism, eliminate stress, or inhibit the operation of adenomas. Rarely should resort to intervention, as it usually is enough to administer drugs such as bromoergocriptina, or smoothness.