title: Subnormal postconceptional levels of prolactin do not interfere with the early events of human pregnancy.
abstract: To elucidate the role of bromocriptine treatment and serum prolactin levels in peri-implantational events, 30 healthy women asking for "morning after" type contraception were given bromocriptine. Treatment was started 30.6 +/- 18.4 (mean +/- SD) hours after unprotected intercourse and continued until the next menstruation. Blood samples were taken before and 1 and 2 weeks after initiation of treatment, and the samples were assayed for concentrations of prolactin, progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and pregnancy-specific beta1-glycoprotein (PSBG) by radioimmunoassay. Prolactin concentrations fell significantly (P less than 0.001) from the pretreatment level of 11.4 +/- 7.9 ng/ml (mean +/- SD) to 2.8 +/- 2.3 ng/ml at 1 week and to 1.9 +/- 0.6 ng/ml after 2 weeks of treatment. Five women had demonstrable hCG in serum 8 to 15 days after unprotected intercourse, and one of them also had PSBG 14 days postcoitum. Pregnancy advanced normally until legal termination in three women, whereas menstruation-like bleeding ensued in two. Our results suggest that neither bromocriptine treatment nor a subnormal maternal serum prolactin level interferes with the early development of human pregnancy.
mesh_terms: D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D001971:Bromocriptine; D011374:Progesterone; D011388:Prolactin