Home kit
Prolactin Test
Prolactin, the pituitary hormone measured when periods stop, milk appears outside pregnancy or fertility is being looked into.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
1 marker measured
Prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone often checked when periods stop. Mild rises are most often due to stress or medicines such as antipsychotics, and can also be caused by pregnancy, breastfeeding, recent exercise or a difficult blood draw. Higher or persistent rises can point to a pituitary growth or an underactive thyroid and may need specialist assessment.
Overview
Prolactin is measured when periods have stopped, when milk appears outside pregnancy or breastfeeding, or as part of a fertility or low testosterone assessment. It is easily disturbed by ordinary things such as stress, poor sleep and some medicines, so it is taken rested, in the morning, and read by a doctor alongside your symptoms and medicines.
Prolactin is easily disturbed. Stress, a poor night, a recent meal, sex, exercise and nipple stimulation all lift it, and so do several common medicines, including some antidepressants, antisickness tablets and antipsychotics. That is why a mildly raised result is repeated rested rather than treated as a finding. It is measured in men too, usually alongside testosterone when levels are low, and the report explains what a raised level would usually lead to.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Adults aged 18 and over
- Women whose periods have stopped or who have milky discharge outside pregnancy
- Men being investigated for a low testosterone
Who it isn’t for
- A mildly raised prolactin very often means only that the sample was taken at a bad moment. Stress, a poor night's sleep, a recent meal, exercise, sex and nipple stimulation all lift it, and so do several common medicines including some antidepressants, antisickness tablets and antipsychotics. Never stop a prescribed medicine to test.
- A raised result is repeated rested before it means anything, and a persistently high one is a GP conversation rather than something to act on yourself. New headaches or changes in your vision need prompt assessment by your GP, or NHS 111 if they are sudden or severe, rather than a blood test.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Periods that have stopped or become very infrequent
- Milky discharge from the breast outside pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Trying to conceive and wanting prolactin included
- Low testosterone in men being investigated
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- Prolactin▲ High
- Result
- 620 mIU/L
- Range
- 102–496 (women)
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prolactin | 620 | mIU/L | 102–496 (women) | ▲ High |
Doctor’s note (example)
Prolactin is mildly raised. Stress, a recent meal, breast stimulation and some medicines all push it up, so it is repeated rested and fasted before anything else.
Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home finger-prick kit
- Preparation
- No fasting required
- Who it's for
- Any sex · ages 18+
How to prepare
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
How should I prepare?
Take the sample in the morning, at least an hour after waking and before eating if you can, sitting and rested for about fifteen minutes first. Avoid exercise, sex and nipple stimulation beforehand, and try not to rush in from a stressful journey.
Do I need to fast?
The laboratory does not require it, but NHS laboratory advice is to take the sample before eating where you can, because a meal can lift prolactin a little. If you are repeating it, keep the conditions the same.
Which medicines raise it?
Several common ones, including some antidepressants, antipsychotics and antisickness tablets, and the effect can be substantial. List what you take rather than stopping anything, so the reviewing doctor can read the result properly.
What happens if it is high?
The usual first step is a repeat taken under proper resting conditions, because that alone settles many mildly raised results. If it stays up, the reviewing doctor explains what a GP would normally look at next.
Does biotin affect the result?
It can. High-dose biotin (vitamin B7), often sold for hair, skin and nails, can make some hormone results read too high or too low. Laboratory advice is usually to leave at least 8 hours after a dose of 5 mg or more, and some advise longer, so the simplest approach is to skip it on the day of your sample. Tell us if you take it, and do not stop a medicine that a doctor has prescribed.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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