Prolactin and Multiple Sclerosis

The question about the relationship between prolactin and multiple sclerosis is one that numerous researchers have been trying to answer. What do we know about the potential benefits or disadvantages of this hormone when it comes to MS?

Prolactin is a hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland. Its function in women is to stimulate breast development and milk production, but thus far there is no known normal function for the hormone in men.

Prolactin and multiple sclerosis
An interesting observation about prolactin and multiple sclerosis in pregnant women is that levels of the hormone peak during the trimester of pregnancy, at about the same time MS tends to go into remission. This prolactin and multiple sclerosis relationship continues when women choose to breastfeed.

Breastfeeding stimulates additional release of prolactin while levels decline in women who do not breastfeed. A meta-analysis has shown that women with MS who breastfed were nearly half as likely to experience a post-partum relapse when compared with women who did not breastfeed