Another WebMD article explains the many drivers of prolactin change:

“Pregnant women have high levels of prolactin, which helps make breast milk. During pregnancy, prolactin levels increase by 10 to 20 times. After the baby is born, prolactin stays high if you are breast-feeding. In women who do not breast-feed, prolactin levels return to normal soon after they give birth. After months of breast-feeding, prolactin levels may also return to normal levels even if you still breast-feed….

Many medicines can cause prolactin levels to go up. Tumors of the pituitary gland can sometimes cause prolactin to be made. A damaged pituitary gland may not be able to make normal amounts of prolactin so levels will be lower.” (From WebMD, sourced 3/30/14)

What happens when prolactin levels get too high?

Elevated prolactin levels can be pathological. Again, WebMD explains this gist of what happens:

“Hyperprolactinemia is a condition in which too much prolactin is present in the blood of women who are not pregnant and in men. In women, this results in a decline in the body’s production of progesterone after ovulation which, in turn, can lead to irregular ovulation and infrequent menstruation, cause you to stop menstruating altogether, or cause your breasts to start producing milk, a condition called galactorrhea. Men also can experience galactorrhea. High prolactin levels in men can also lead to impotence, reduced libido, and infertility.” (From WebMD, sourced 3/30/14)

Prolactin levels go up naturally in pregnant women or women who breastfeed. Evidence also suggests that men who cohabitate with women who are pregnant also experience elevated prolactin levels. This fact may explain why many men suffer a condition known as Couvade’s syndrome, also known colloquially as “male pregnancy.”

One theory about Couvade’s suggests that, when a man lives around a pregnant woman, her hormone levels affect his and cause prolactin levels to shift upwards. This hormonal interference then causes the side effects of “male pregnancy,” such as weight gain, phantom pregnancy symptoms, nausea, morning sickness, and mood changes.

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