THE FREQUENCY OF ELEVATED PROLACTIN LEVEL IN POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME WOMEN (PCOS) AND ITS' EFFECT ON PREGNANCY RATE

Abstract

Introduction: Prolactin is a hormone secreted from anterior pituitary gland which has different functions throughout the body of the fertile females. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may exhibit a mild elevation of serum prolactin level. High prolactin level can affect the fertility potential causing ovulatory dysfunction. Even those with normal ovulation, failure of producing a sufficient amount of progesterone after ovulation may occur which resulted in a deficient endometrium; less liable for embryo implantation( luteal phase defect). Thus, this research is aimed to study the frequency of elevated prolactin in women with PCOS and to evaluate its' effect on pregnancy rate. Methods: Fifty-three infertile females were included. They divided in to two major groups: Group I: females with PCOS and Group II: females with no PCOS. Both groups sub-divided in to two subgroups: Group A with serum prolactin more than 20 ng/dl and Group B with normal serum prolactin 2-20 ng/dl. All females were included in ICSI program followed by assessment of pregnancy rate in both groups. Results: The study was showed that 69.44% of women who suffered from PCOS had an elevated serum prolactin level with a mean of 31.17±10.24. Pregnancy rate was lower in the females with high serum prolactin level in both PCOS and non-PCOS women. Conclusion: Hyperprolactinemia is more frequent in the females with PCOS than normal ovulatory females. Elevated serum prolactin level negatively affects implantation and decreases the chance of getting a pregnancy following ICSI.