Serum-prolactin in female infertility

55 of 100 new female patients attending an infertility clinic had serum-prolactin concentrations greater than the upper limit of normal (360 mU/l). There was no significant correlation between serum-prolactin value and clinical features including age, duration of infertility, past reproduction, menstrual pattern, past use of oral contraception, or pregnancy-rate after treatment. The place of serum-prolactin estimations in the management of infertile women is unclear, particularly since the precision of currently available radioimmunoassays is questionable. The major value of serum-prolactin estimations lies in identifying those patients in whom further investigation for pituitary tumour is indicated both before treatment and during any ensuing pregnancy, and in selecting patients suitable for bromocriptine therapy.