Serum Prolactin Test in Sharjah
Medically reviewed by Dar Al Kamal Team
What is a serum prolactin test?
A serum prolactin test is a blood test that measures the level of prolactin in the fluid part of your blood. Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. Its main job is to start and maintain breast milk production after childbirth.
Prolactin also affects the hormones that control ovulation and sperm production. When prolactin is high outside pregnancy and breastfeeding, it can quieten the signals from the brain to the ovaries or testes, which is why a raised level can lead to irregular periods, missed ovulation or low testosterone.
The serum prolactin test in Sharjah at Dar Al Kamal Hospital needs careful timing more than most blood tests. Prolactin is a sensitive hormone. It rises with stress, including the stress of a needle, with sleep, exercise, a large meal and breast stimulation, and it follows a daily rhythm. Small rises from these everyday causes are common, so a well-timed sample gives the clearest answer.
Who needs it
Doctors request a prolactin test when symptoms point to a hormone imbalance. In women, common reasons include:
- irregular, infrequent or absent periods;
- milky discharge from the nipples outside pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- difficulty becoming pregnant, as part of an infertility consultation;
- symptoms that overlap with polycystic ovary syndrome, discussed on the PCOS treatment page.
In men, reasons include low sex drive, erectile problems, breast enlargement and low sperm counts, often assessed alongside male infertility treatment.
In anyone, doctors may check prolactin for persistent headaches with changes in vision, since a pituitary growth can raise prolactin and press on nearby nerves, and for monitoring people already treated for a raised prolactin. Some medicines, including certain medicines for mental health and for nausea, raise prolactin, so doctors sometimes check the level when these are started or cause side effects.
What happens
A prolactin test needs one small blood sample. The laboratory at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah runs 24 hours a day and accepts walk-ins for most routine tests, and for prolactin the timing of your visit matters.
Many doctors ask for the sample a few hours after waking, often mid-morning, because prolactin is naturally higher during sleep and shortly afterwards. On arrival you sit quietly for a while before the sample, which lets any rise from rushing or anxiety settle. A phlebotomist then checks your details, applies a tourniquet, cleans the skin and draws blood into a tube, which is labelled beside you and sent for analysis.
Prolactin is often requested with other hormone tests, such as follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, oestradiol, thyroid function or testosterone. Some of these depend on the day of the menstrual cycle, so your doctor may ask you to come on a particular day.
Preparing for it
- Timing. Plan the visit for the time your doctor suggests, usually a few hours after waking.
- Rest. Avoid strenuous exercise on the morning of the test, and allow time to arrive calm rather than rushed.
- Breast stimulation. Avoid nipple and breast stimulation, including breast examination, for a day beforehand.
- Meals. A light breakfast is fine; a large, high-protein meal just before the test can raise prolactin.
- Medicines. Keep taking your regular medicines unless your doctor advises a change, and bring a list of everything you take.
- Cycle day. Note the first day of your last period if other hormone tests are included.
Bring your Emirates ID, insurance card, the request form and any previous hormone results.
Afterwards
You can return to your day straight after the sample. A small bruise at the needle site is normal.
The requesting doctor reads your prolactin result together with your symptoms and any other hormone results. A mildly raised level is often simply repeated under calm, well-timed conditions. A persistently raised level usually leads to checks for common causes such as thyroid function, medicines and pregnancy, and sometimes a test for macroprolactin or an MRI scan of the pituitary. Raised prolactin usually responds well to treatment, which often restores regular periods and ovulation. Care for the pituitary itself sits with endocrinology, and fertility care with gynaecology and obstetrics.
Contact the hospital if the needle site becomes red, hot, swollen or increasingly painful. Go to the emergency department straight away if you develop a sudden severe headache, sudden loss or double vision, or vomiting with drowsiness.
Cost and insurance
Most UAE insurance plans cover a prolactin test when a doctor requests it to investigate symptoms such as irregular periods or nipple discharge. When the test forms part of fertility investigations, cover depends on your plan, as some UAE policies exclude fertility care or need pre-approval. A pituitary MRI, if needed, usually needs pre-approval. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover on 06 599 7777.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the risks of a prolactin test?
A prolactin test carries the small risks of any blood draw: bruising, brief soreness, feeling faint and, rarely, infection at the needle site. The main limitation is that stress, sleep, exercise and meals can raise the result, so a single mildly high reading often needs repeating.
Can stress make my prolactin high?
Stress can raise prolactin, including the stress of a busy morning or of the blood test itself. A mildly raised result is often repeated after sitting quietly beforehand, and a normal repeat usually means the first reading was a temporary rise.
What is macroprolactin?
Macroprolactin is a large, clumped form of prolactin that shows up in the blood test but has little effect on the body. When a raised prolactin comes without symptoms, the laboratory can check for macroprolactin to avoid unnecessary scans and treatment.
Does a high prolactin mean I have a pituitary tumour?
A high prolactin has many causes, including stress, medicines, an underactive thyroid, pregnancy and polycystic ovary syndrome. A small, benign pituitary growth called a prolactinoma is one possible cause, and an MRI scan is arranged only when the pattern suggests it.
Can high prolactin affect fertility in men?
High prolactin can affect male fertility by lowering testosterone and sperm production, and it can cause low sex drive and erectile problems. Men with these symptoms are often tested alongside other hormone and semen tests.
Should I stop my medicines before a prolactin test?
Continue your usual medicines unless your doctor advises otherwise, even if they are known to raise prolactin. Stopping some medicines suddenly can be harmful, and your doctor interprets the result with your medicines in mind.
Is prolactin tested during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Prolactin is rarely tested during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because high levels are expected and normal at those times. Women already known to have a prolactinoma are usually monitored by symptoms during pregnancy.
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