Glossary

Term · Feeding Your Baby

prolactin

Also: milk hormone, lactation hormone

A hormone from the pituitary gland that makes breast tissue produce milk. It rises with nursing and sleep, and it helps keep milk supply steady.

In plain words

Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. It is the main hormone that tells the breast to make milk. During pregnancy, prolactin rises, but the breasts do not make full milk until the placenta is delivered. After birth, each time the baby feeds, prolactin rises and helps the breast keep making milk. It also rises during sleep, which is one reason night feeds matter for supply. Stress, pain, and some medicines can change prolactin levels. Prolactin is one piece of milk supply. The baby's removal of milk from the breast, and the mother's overall health, matter just as much.

The deeper version

Prolactin is secreted by lactotrophs of the anterior pituitary and acts on mammary epithelial cells through the prolactin receptor. , the differentiation of secretory cells and production, is complete by mid-pregnancy under prolactin, , cortisol, and insulin, while high progesterone blocks copious secretion. Suckling and nocturnal prolactin surges sustain production, which underlies the galactopoietic effect of frequent milk removal. Hyperprolactinemia from other causes can affect menstruation and lactation and is evaluated clinically. Neville, Morton, and Umemura (Pediatric Clinics of North America, 2001) review these endocrine relationships. The main controversy concerns the relative contribution of prolactin response versus local and milk removal in determining long-term supply.

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Sources

  • Neville MC, Morton J, Umemura S — Lactogenesis: the transition from pregnancy to lactation. Pediatric Clinics of North America (2001)
  • Lawrence RA, Lawrence RM — Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 8th edition (Elsevier, 2016)

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