Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It stimulates breast milk production after childbirth and also affects the levels of sex hormones in the body. When prolactin levels are elevated, women may start to produce breast milk outside of pregnancy and may face problems with menstruation such as absence of period or irregular periods. High prolactin levels can also lead to infertility in both men and women.
In TCM, high prolactin levels are treated according to the symptoms in which the patients experience, for example, amenorrhea (absence of period), infertility and galactorrhoea (production of breast milk not associated with childbirth or nursing). Physicians will provide appropriate treatment to each individual patient after assessing their condition. When patients’ conditions improve, prolactin levels may also be lowered during the treatment process.
