What’s the impact of prolactin on your health?
Let's talk about it.
Prolactin is a really important hormone but usually not measured.
Prolactin is produced by the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary at night. High levels of prolactin during the day or dyscircadian hyperprolactinemia is seen in patients with autoimmunity, obesity, immune system dysregulation, and hypersensitivity.
Hyperprolactinemia means your prolactin levels are way above normal day and night. This can be caused by a hypothalamic dopamine deficiency because it’s dopamine that turns off prolactin. A pituitary microadenoma can also overproduce prolactin.
It is important to keep your prolactin levels in circadian rhythm.
- High daytime prolactin levels can cause fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and slow metabolism leading to weight gain.
- Infertility can be caused by high prolactin levels.
- High prolactin also blocks hormone receptor sites which will interfere with the activity of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, as well as adrenal steroids.
To reduce prolactin, you must raise dopamine.
In order to raise dopamine naturally, you have to support your hypothalamus. Hypothalamic dopamine is the key regulator of prolactin. Optimal hypothalamic function means you produce enough prolactin at night to modulate your immune system, but low levels during the day to prevent blocking hormone receptors,
Supporting your hypothalamus with Genesis Gold® will help to normalize hypothalamic production of prolactin to optimal levels, reset your circadian rhythm, improve immune function and prevent hormone dysregulation from high prolactin levels.
If you have a documented pituitary adenoma, you may need a dopamine agonist to lower your prolactin levels.
Otherwise getting enough sleep in the dark helps to reset your circadian rhythm and induce nocturnal prolactin production. Then getting up with the sun will help to suppress daytime prolactin so that you have healthy normal metabolism during the day.
If you have questions, please join us in our Hormone Reboot Training.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the symptoms of high prolactin?
High daytime prolactin can cause fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and a slower metabolism that leads to weight gain. Because high prolactin also blocks hormone receptor sites, it can interfere with estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and adrenal hormones, contributing to broader hormone-related symptoms and infertility. Since prolactin is rarely measured on standard panels, these symptoms are often missed. If you have unexplained fatigue and hormone symptoms, ask your provider about testing prolactin.
Can high prolactin cause fatigue?
Yes. Prolactin normally rises at night and falls during the day, but when daytime levels stay high — sometimes called dyscircadian hyperprolactinemia — it can cause daytime fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Elevated prolactin can also slow metabolism and disrupt other hormones that affect energy. Because persistent fatigue has many possible causes, including high prolactin, it's worth having a healthcare provider evaluate it rather than assuming the cause.
What causes high prolactin levels?
Prolactin is produced in connection with the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, mainly at night. Levels can rise abnormally due to a hypothalamic dopamine deficiency, since dopamine is what normally switches prolactin off. A small benign pituitary growth called a microadenoma (or prolactinoma) can also overproduce prolactin. Other causes include certain medications and low thyroid function. Because some causes are significant, high prolactin should be evaluated by a provider.
How does prolactin affect fertility?
High prolactin can interfere with fertility because it disrupts the reproductive hormone signals needed for regular ovulation and menstrual cycles. Elevated prolactin blocks hormone receptor sites and interferes with estrogen and progesterone activity, which can prevent normal ovulation. This is a recognized and often treatable cause of infertility, so anyone having difficulty conceiving should have prolactin checked as part of a fertility evaluation with a qualified provider.
What is the connection between prolactin and dopamine?
Dopamine is the main regulator of prolactin — it's what signals the body to turn prolactin off. When hypothalamic dopamine is low, prolactin isn't suppressed properly and levels can rise. This is why raising dopamine is central to normalizing prolactin. Supporting healthy hypothalamic function, sleep, and circadian rhythm helps maintain the dopamine signaling that keeps prolactin in its proper daily pattern. Medical causes should still be ruled out by a provider.
Hey,
The picture with the ingredient list for Genesis Gold is unreable due to small size and poor image quality. Can you provie the list?
Is this good for men as well?
You can find the ingredients here https://genesisgold.com/hypothalamus/genesis-gold-ingredients/. Yes. Genesis Gold® is formulated for human physiology, dosed by body weight. Genesis Gold® supports sex steroids, adrenals, thyroid, glucose metabolism, immune system and brain health. Men benefit as much as women from partaking of Genesis Gold®.