[TRH stimulation as an attempt at demonstration of the induction and involution of prolactin-secreting pituitary cells in pregnancy and puerperium and in pathological hyperprolactinemia].
The present paper discusses the relationship between functional hypertrophia or hyperplasia of the prolactin secreting cells in the pituitary and actual pituitary prolactin reserves in pregnant and post partum women. 35 randomly selected post partum patients from the 3rd to 12th day p.p. and 14 women in their 11th to 14th weeks of pregnancy volunteered to undergo a standard TRH-test. The control group consisted of 60 normoprolactinemic patients. Eleven pathologically hyperprolactinemic patients were compared to the normoprolactinemic and physiologically hyperprolactinemic groups. In all cases, plasma prolactin showed a linear decrease from the 3rd to 12th days post partum. The TRH induced increase became correspondingly greater as the basal prolactin levels decreased, i.e. an inverse relationship between these two parameters was seen. The TRH-induced increase was also always greater than the increase caused by suckling. A connection between prolactin and parity was not found. The inverse relationship between basal prolactin levels and the actual reserves which could be released by TRH stimulation can be explained in that there are two regulatory systems for prolactin. The estrogens stimulate basal prolactin and inhibit prolactin reserves. The actual prolactin reserve is, on the one hand, directly dependent on the degree of endogenous neurohormonal stimulation and, on the other hand, indirectly dependent on the endogenous estrogens through a feedback mechanism. The TRH-stimulation test is not suitable for determining a functional hypertrophia or hyperplasia of lactotropic pituitary cells.
D004967:Estrogens / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D010298:Parity; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology
D004967:Estrogens; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011388:Prolactin
TRH-Stimulation als Nachweisversuch für Induktion und Involution prolaktinsezernierender Hypophysenzellen in Schwangerschaft und Wochenbett sowie bei pathologischer Hyperprolaktinämie