Elevated serum prolactin level with high-dose estrogen contraceptive pills

Abstract

Background and objectives There are currently groups of women using high-dose estrogen contraceptive pills, especially in the developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the duration of contraceptive pill intake, the dose of steroid contained in the contraceptive pills and the incidence and degree of serum prolactin level elevation in those women.Study design This study was conducted in 100 contraceptive pill users. Women were randomly selected for this study with an age range from 19 to 35 years and duration of contraceptive pill intake from 6 to 120 months. Cases were classified into two groups. The first group (50 cases) were taking high-dose estrogen pills (50 μg) and the second group (50 cases) were taking low-dose estrogen pills (30 μg).Results The results of the present study showed that there was a significant elevation in serum prolactin level in both groups, with a more significant elevation in the high-dose pill users.Conclusions There is a positive relationship between serum prolactin level and the duration of pill intake and their steroid content, and this relationship is not related to the age and parity of the women. The groups of women studied are scheduled for follow-up to determine if there is any future drawback which results as a consequence of the developed hyperprolactinemia. Prolactin determination should be considered for all women prior to pill intake. This determination of serum prolactin level prior to pill use will be useful in the evaluation of the future relationship between the estrogen content of the pills and the later development of hyperprolactinemia.