Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

2 mL of serum or plasma; minimum 0.5 mL.

Eight-hour fasting is preferred. For premenopausal women, collection in early follicular cycle (before day 10) is recommended. In addition, no nipple stimulation or intercourse 24 hours prior to lab collection.

Allow serum to clot. Centrifuge to separate serum or plasma within 2 hours of collection.

Refrigerated (preferred) or frozen.

Refrigerated: 14 days. Frozen: 6 months.

Stability limits exceeded.

Females 0 to 55 years: 4.8-30 ng/mL 
Females > 55 years: 4.0-20 ng/mL
Males: 4.0-20 ng/mL
 

HAMA (Human Anti-Mouse Antibodies) interfere with this test. Patients who have been treated with Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies should not be tested with this procedure.

Prolactin.

PROL

During pregnancy and postpartum lactation, serum prolactin can increase 10- to 20-fold. Exercise, stress and sleep also cause transient increases in prolactin levels. Consistently elevated serum prolactin levels (>30 ng/mL) in the absence of pregnancy and postpartum lactation are indicative of hyperprolactinemia. Hypersecretion of prolactin can be caused by pituatary adenomas, hypothalamic disease, breast or chest wall stimulation, renal failure or hypothyroidism. A number of drugs, including many antidepressants, are also common causes of abnormally elevated prolactin levels. Hyperprolactinemia often results in galactorrhea, amenorrhea, and infertility in females and impotence and hypogonadism in males. Renal failure, hypothyroidism, and prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas are also common causes of abnormally elevated prolactin levels.