any advice please? High prolactin levels / Infertility

[ruthlouise]

hoping someone here will be able to advise...
I had a late m/c last March at 18+ weeks and have been ttc'ing since then with no success.
One of the things I've noticed is that I still have a slight milk discharge. I have read that this is due to high prolactin levels and wondered about taking Agnus castus to regulate this. My cycles are otherwise normal (24-25 days with no luteal phase defect).
Its very discouraging when A/F turns up each month and I just wondered whether the prolactin levels could be causing infertility?
My GP did some blood tests a couple of months ago to check I was ovulating and that my progesterone levels are ok (which were fine)
any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

have you had your pituitary hormones checked,prolactin is secreted from it,and a problem may cause infertility.

High prolactin levels can interfere with ovulation; it can be treated with tablets. Please seek medical advice from your GP asap.

Your prolactin levels should certainly be measured by a blood test. They may also want to look at your LH and FSH levels as well.
If your levels of LH (leutenising hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) are tested with regards to a blood test ensure that these levels are compared. They need comparing because these two hormones can look okay if looked at separately. It is only when they are compared that any abnomality can be seen.

AC will not help with this particular problem and it is also not a good idea to self medicate with this particular herb.

Thank you ggirl and Attila. looks like I shall be making an appointment with my GP on Tuesday.
I never thought of mentioning the discharge when I had the other tests done, just assumed it would sort itself out, so pituitary hormone levels weren't checked. My LH and FSH levels were okay and I'm definitely ovulating.
So how do high prolactin levels affect fertility? Do they stop implantation? Its all a bit of a puzzle because women breastfeeding must have high prolactin levels but they can still fall pg
Several people recommended Agnus Castus for regulating hormones / fertility so was quite tempted to try it.

"My LH and FSH levels were okay and I'm definitely ovulating".

Can you recall what the levels were and more importantly were they compared?. Comparison is important because these two can look "normal" if only looked at separately. High levels of prolactin can interefere with ovulation, not implantation.

www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/prolactin.html

This is a good link for you to read.

There are pituitary problems which cause increased prolactin and affect fertility - I have at least 3 friends who have had treatment for this.
Go to your GP and ask for a referral (one of my friend's took years before she got referred despite it being pretty obvious that there was a hormone problem)

Thank you - website link was very helpful. I also had my thyroid checked and am pretty sure I don't have PCOS so think I can rule those out.
I've no idea what my test results were as the GP just said they were fine. I'll try to get the levels when I go back
Would I still get a positive result on ovulation sticks if I wasn't ovulating?
If I'm ovulating would that mean the prolactin isn't a problem regarding fertility? (sorry lots of questions!)

Would I still get a positive result on ovulation sticks if I wasn't ovulating?

Yes you would. If you are one of many women who produce higher than normal levels of LH the kit would read that. OPK's work on two misleading principles; namely that women only have one rise in LH every moth and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Neither of the above is true.

If I'm ovulating would that mean the prolactin isn't a problem regarding fertility?

The blood test results you had need to be looked at again. If the levels of LH and FSH were not compared then the test is meaningless. These two hormones can look okay if looked at individually but comparison is needed. Excess prolactin levels can also be treated with tablets.

I get a positive OV result around day 11-12 which is when i'd expect to get it with an approx 25 day cycle but I shall definitely make an appointment with the GP.
Bluebear - I didn't realise how common pituitary probs were
Thanks for sharing that info Attila. Much appreciated and I'm clearer about what I want to discuss with the GP now