Get tested with Superpower

If you’ve been postponing blood testing for years or feel frustrated by doctor appointments and limited lab panels, you are not alone. Standard healthcare is often reactive, focusing on testing only after symptoms appear or leaving patients in the dark.

Superpower flips that approach. We give you full insight into your body with over 100 biomarkers, personalized action plans, long-term tracking, and answers to your questions, so you can stay ahead of any health issues.

With physician-reviewed results, CLIA-certified labs, and the option for at-home blood draws, Superpower is designed for people who want clarity, convenience, and real accountability - all in one place.

Key benefits of Prolactin testing

• Measures the hormone that controls milk production and reproductive function.
• Spots pituitary gland problems that may cause irregular periods or infertility.
• Explains unexpected breast milk production when you're not pregnant or nursing.
• Flags medication side effects that raise prolactin and disrupt hormone balance.
• Guides treatment for prolactinomas, the most common hormone-secreting pituitary tumors.
• Tracks whether therapy is lowering prolactin levels back to normal range.
• Clarifies causes of low sex drive, erectile issues, or bone loss.
• Best interpreted with thyroid tests and symptoms, since stress temporarily elevates results.

What is Prolactin?

Prolactin is a hormone produced and released by the pituitary gland, a pea-sized structure at the base of your brain. It belongs to a family of signaling molecules that communicate between your brain and distant tissues. While both men and women make prolactin throughout life, its levels and effects vary widely depending on reproductive status and other factors.

Best known for milk production

Prolactin's primary claim to fame is triggering and sustaining milk production (lactation) in the breasts after childbirth. The hormone prepares mammary tissue during pregnancy and keeps milk flowing as long as nursing continues.

A hormone with many roles beyond breastfeeding

Prolactin also influences reproductive function, immune responses, metabolism, and behavior. It helps regulate the menstrual cycle, affects fertility in both sexes, and plays a role in stress adaptation. Because prolactin interacts with so many systems, measuring it in blood offers a window into pituitary health, reproductive status, and certain hormonal imbalances.

Why is Prolactin important?

Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland that primarily drives milk production after childbirth, but it also influences reproductive function, metabolism, and immune regulation in both sexes. Normal levels typically range from around 2 to 25 ng/mL in non-pregnant adults, with optimal values sitting in the lower half of that range outside of pregnancy and breastfeeding. When prolactin rises or falls inappropriately, it disrupts the delicate hormonal conversation between the brain, ovaries, and testes.

When prolactin drops too low

Low prolactin is uncommon and usually signals pituitary damage or dysfunction. It rarely causes symptoms on its own but may appear alongside other pituitary hormone deficiencies. In breastfeeding women, insufficient prolactin can impair milk supply.

When prolactin climbs too high

Elevated prolactin, called hyperprolactinemia, is far more common and consequential. In women, it suppresses ovulation, leading to irregular or absent periods, infertility, and sometimes unexpected breast milk production. In men, high prolactin lowers testosterone, causing low libido, erectile dysfunction, and reduced muscle mass. Both sexes may experience bone thinning over time due to sex hormone suppression.

The bigger hormonal picture

Prolactin sits at the crossroads of reproduction, stress response, and metabolic health. Chronic elevation can signal a pituitary tumor, medication effect, or thyroid disorder. Left unchecked, it quietly erodes fertility, bone density, and quality of life, making it a key marker in evaluating unexplained reproductive or sexual symptoms.

What do my Prolactin results mean?

Low prolactin levels

Low values usually reflect normal baseline function in most adults outside of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Prolactin naturally runs low when the hypothalamus and pituitary are not being stimulated to produce it. Very low or undetectable levels can occasionally signal pituitary damage or underactivity, particularly after head trauma, surgery, or certain autoimmune conditions affecting the gland. In these cases, other pituitary hormones are often affected as well.

Optimal prolactin levels

Being in range suggests balanced regulation between the hypothalamus, which controls prolactin release, and the pituitary gland, which produces it. For non-pregnant, non-lactating adults, optimal values typically sit in the lower half of the reference range. Prolactin is naturally pulsatile and rises with sleep, stress, and nipple stimulation, so stable low-normal levels reflect appropriate tonic inhibition by dopamine.

High prolactin levels

High values usually reflect increased pituitary secretion, often due to a benign prolactin-secreting tumor called a prolactinoma, or loss of dopamine's inhibitory control. Elevated prolactin can suppress reproductive hormones, leading to irregular cycles, low libido, and infertility in both sexes, and sometimes milk production outside of pregnancy. Mild elevations are common with stress, certain medications, hypothyroidism, and kidney disease.

Factors that influence prolactin

Prolactin rises during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with sleep, after meals, and during stress or venipuncture. Antipsychotics, antidepressants, and blood pressure medications can elevate levels. Repeat testing after rest is often needed to confirm true elevation.