ipl-logo

Prolactin Research Paper

866 Words4 Pages

PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF PROLACTIN Prolactin provides the body with sexual gratification after sexual acts. The hormone counteracts the effect of dopamine, which is linked to sexual arousal. This is thought to cause the sexual refractory period. The amount of prolactin can be an indicator for the amount of sexual satisfaction and relaxation. Elevated levels of prolactin decrease the levels of sex hormones estrogen in women and testosterone in men.Prolactin within the normal reference ranges can act as a weak gonadotropin, but at the same time suppresses GnRH secretion. The exact mechanism by which it inhibits GnRH is poorly understood. Physiologic levels of prolactin in males enhance luteinizing hormone-receptors in Leydig …show more content…

Vasoactive intestinal peptide and peptide histidine isoleucine help to regulate prolactin secretion in humans.Prolactin follows diurnal and ovulatory cycles. Prolactin levels peak during REM sleep and in the early morning. Many mammals experience a seasonal cycle.During pregnancy, high circulating concentrations of estrogen and progesterone increase prolactin levels by 10- to 20-fold. Estrogen and progesterone inhibit the stimulatory effects of prolactin on milk production. The abrupt drop of estrogen and progesterone levels following delivery allow prolactin—which temporarily remains high—to induce lactation. Sucking on the nipple offsets the fall in prolactin as the internal stimulus for them is removed. The sucking activates mechanoreceptors in and around the nipple. These signals are carried by nerve fibers through the spinal cord to the hypothalamus, where changes in the electrical activity of neurons that regulate the pituitary gland increase prolactin secretion. The suckling …show more content…

In a study on female volunteers under hypnosis, prolactin surges resulted from the evocation, with rage, of humiliating experiences, but not from the fantasy of nursing. Hypersecretion is more common than hyposecretion. Hyperprolactinemia is the most frequent abnormality of the anterior pituitary tumors, termed prolactinomas. Prolactinomas may disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis as prolactin tends to suppress the secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus and in turn decreases the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary, therefore disrupting the ovulatory cycle.[28] Such hormonal changes may manifest as amenorrhea and infertility in females as well as impotence in males. Inappropriate lactation (galactorrhoea) is another important clinical sign of

Show More
Related

  • Nt1310 Unit 2 Study Guide

    644 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pituitary gland coordinates growth and blood pressure. It coordinates with the hypothalamus to maintain homeostasis in the body. Pons: The pons sends messages from the front half of the brain to the cerebellum.

    Read More

  • Abigail Ugly Research Paper

    393 Words  | 2 Pages

    After a few years, there was a tumor in her pituitary region. The tumor was secreting excessive amounts of growth hormone, casing symptoms to appear. She had enlarged hands and feet, coarsened, enlarged facial features, coarse, oily, thickened skin, and

    Read More

  • Engendering The Brain Summary

    580 Words  | 3 Pages

    It differentiates the role of gonadal hormones in both humans and non-humans, and asserts

    Read More

  • Yelena Perimenopause Summary

    171 Words  | 1 Pages

    Additionally, women going through perimenopause have decreased libidos, orgasms, and a lot of physical changes taking place in her body. As a result of these changes a woman like

    Read More

  • Case Study 1: The Endocrine System

    1100 Words  | 5 Pages

    Case Study 1 – The Endocrine System Christina D’Amico University of Saint Joseph Abstract A fifteen-year-old boy with many hormonal abnormalities starting at the age of eleven suffered from joint pain and swelling along with poor bone growth and development. He broke his left hip and had low levels of testosterone and high levels of growth hormone resulting in gigantism and later acromegaly.

    Read More

  • Pitocin Research Paper

    532 Words  | 3 Pages

    Testerone is analog with Pitocin it is found in the male testes. Testerone moves the sperm for reproduction. What is the purpose of administering this medication during childbirth?

    Read More

  • Essay On Breastfeeding Vs Bottle Feeding

    882 Words  | 4 Pages

    Breastfeeding is the body’s natural way of producing food for infants. Breast milk is the most easily digested food source for infants. The calorie and fat density within breast milk varies according to what the baby demands throughout developmental stages and growth spurts. During the last few weeks of pregnancy, a mother’s body creates a thick, fatty, nutrient dense milk called colostrum. After a few days of nursing, the mother’s milk supply comes in and the colostrum is replaced with a creamy milk.

    Read More

  • Pituitary Gland Research Paper

    4529 Words  | 19 Pages

    Molecular genetics have shown nearly all to be monoclonal, suggesting that an intrinsic pituitary defect is likely to be responsible for pituitary tumorigenesis. Occasionally, prolactinoma may be part of a multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome (MEN-1), but this occurs too infrequently to justify MEN-1 screening in every patient with a prolactinoma. • GH- and PRL-secreting adenomas (or mammosomatotroph adenomas) Mixed growth hormone (GH)- and PRL-secreting tumors are well recognized and give rise to acromegaly in association with hyperprolactinemia.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mastitis

    766 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mastitis (infectious) Overview: Mastitis is a very common disease among women who have just given birth (that is called puerperal mastitis) and is quite annoying and painful as it is a real infection that affects the breast tissue that is very swollen, hot and flushed. Causes: When mastitis makes its debut one feels a strong burning during lactation and in general it feels very exhausted and tired. Puerperal mastitis is caused by a blockage of breast milk (which is formed when a breast is not emptied completely while nursing), but also hygiene little noticed especially in the nipple area which, as we know, can have fissures and injuries that are regularly disinfected and treated to avoid complications. Mastitis usually occurs just as you start to breastfeed, but can, in some cases, even after start, towards the third month.

    Read More

  • Gland Research Paper

    949 Words  | 4 Pages

    During pregnancy, progesterone, prolactin, and lactogens stimulate the gland to undergo extensive proliferation (Hennighausen and Robinson, 2005). Alveolar buds begin to form. They will fully mature for lactation, where the alveolar cells will produce and secrete milk into the lumina. Once the pups stop weening, the mammary gland will decrease in functional activity, as well as decrease in size, in a process called involution (Figure 1b). The vast majority of alveoli will undergo apoptosis until the gland resembles an adult virgin state (University of

    Read More

  • Pelvic Organ Prolapse Essay

    1205 Words  | 5 Pages

    Pelvic organ prolapse is a common female disorder in which the pelvic organs slip downward from their original position in the abdomen and push onto the walls of the vagina. Pelvic organ prolapse is more ordinarily found in women with multiple vaginal deliveries, prolonged or traumatic deliveries, or in postmenopausal women. Risk factors include advancing age, parity, and obesity (Machin & Mukhopadhyay, 2011). The most commonly reported symptoms are a feeling of fullness or pressure in the lower abdomen that descends into the vagina, as well as pain, urinary incontinence, and sexual discomfort (UT Southwestern Medical Center, 2016). The pressure from the organs shifting downwards can cause a change in the normal urinary pattern, leading to urinary incontinence and

    Read More

  • Essay On The Endocrine System

    820 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ovaries are found only in women. They make the hormones estrogen and progesterone which help develop breasts at puberty, regulate the menstrual cycle, and support a pregnancy. The last gland in the endocrine system are the testes. The testes play a large role in making testosterone and also in making

    Read More

  • Female Reproductive System: Changes In The Human Body

    1031 Words  | 5 Pages

    The goal of this hormone production is to prepare and maintain the uterine lining for implantation in the event of fertilization. In the uterine tubes,

    Read More

  • Essay On Progesterone Blood Test

    787 Words  | 4 Pages

    Progesterone is a hormone which the female body produces to conceive. The Progesterone hormone is formed in the ovaries, hence women produce this hormone and have considerably higher levels of progesterone compared to men. A Progesterone Blood Test calculates the amount of progesterone levels in the bloodstream. While in case of men, the role of Progesterone hormone is to create or generate sperms also called as spermatogenesis.

    Read More

  • Lipids Research Paper

    1015 Words  | 5 Pages

    LIPIDS: CLASSIFICATION, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS AND METABOLISM Abstract: The majority of naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids exist in the cis-conformation. Trans fatty acids occur in some foods and as byproducts of the process of hydrogenating unsaturated fatty acids to make them solids at room temperature, such as in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Diets high in trans fatty acids have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and development of the metabolic syndrome and have, therefore, been banned from manufactured food products by most major governments.

    Read More

More about Prolactin Research Paper

Open Document