Prolactin (after MTC - 0, 60 and 120 min.)

For the convenience and safety of our patients, please book an appointment at the Synevo Intake Point of your choice.

You can register for the test via the website https://www.synevo.pl/rezerwacja-krzywa/

The test should be attended with metoclopramide purchased at the pharmacy. The drug is available by prescription. The test is performed on the basis of a doctor's referral.

Description of the Study Prolactin (after MTC - 0, 60 and 120 min.)

Hyperprolactin levels can cause menstrual disorders and problems getting pregnant as well as disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. The causes of hyperprolactinemia can be differentiated using a functional test with metoclopramide (10mg). In the two-step test, the prolactin determination is performed twice: before the drug is administered and then after one hour. Metoclopramide is a drug with antiemetic effects and stimulates intestinal peristalsis.

A side effect of its action is stimulation of prolactin secretion. The normal response to metoclopramide administration is an increase in prolactin from 2 to a maximum of 6 times the baseline. An increase of more than 6 times is diagnosed as functional hyperprolactinemia. An increase in PRL of less than twofold or no increase may indicate a benign pituitary adenoma (prolactinoma) or hypothalamic lesion.

Clinical significance:

PRL is a glycoprotein synthesized in cells of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. Its secretion is dependent on tonic inhibition by the dopamine-sensitive prolactin inhibitor PIF, produced in the hypothalamus. Dopamine receptor inhibitors (such as metaclopramide) stimulate PRL secretion.

Stimulatory factors also include TRH, VIP and serotonin. Prolactin is secreted pulsatilely throughout the day, reaching its highest concentration at night. Elevated PRL concentrations are observed during sleep, as well as during high physical or mental exertion, during pregnancy, and in the postpartum period. Physiologically, its action is to initiate and sustain lactation in the postpartum period and to regulate the function of the reproductive glands in both sexes.

The metoclopramide stimulation test is the most authoritative functional test to assess PRL secretion. The indication for the test is latent hyperprolactinemia. The test usually involves taking PRL determinations before and 60 minutes after oral administration of 10 mg of metoclopramide. the timing of sampling may vary depending on the doctor's recommendations.

The test is a functional test of PRL secretion

In healthy subjects, a 3-6 fold increase in PRL levels is found relative to baseline.

Higher values are referred to as functional hyperprolactinemia and are indicative of hypertrophy of pituitary lactotropic cells. Low baseline concentrations and no increase after stimulation indicate hypoprolactinemia. In patients with prolactinoma adenoma, elevated baseline values that do not increase during metoclopramide stimulation are observed.