title: Serum macroprolactin levels in pregnancy and association with thyroid autoimmunity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the contribution of macroprolactin to high serum prolactin levels and their association with thyroid status and thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  138 pregnant women who suspected of having thyroid dysfunction were studied and divided into three groups according to the thyroid status; group 1; euthyroidism (n 40), group 2; hypothyroidism (n 54), and group 3; hyperthyroid (n 44). Polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation method was used for detection of macroprolactin. A percentage recovery of 40 % or less is considered as macroprolactinemia. If macroprolactin was negative, the percentage of monomeric prolactin recovery (monoPRL %) after PEG precipitation was used for comparison between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Macroprolactinemia was found in two patients (1.4 %) one from hypothyroid and other from euthyroid group. Basal prolactin levels in these patients were 400 and 403 ng/mL respectively. Referring to all patients, there was no correlation between PRL, macroPRL or monoPRL % with thyroid hormone status and also with the serum levels of thyroid antibodies (p > 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the serum levels of PRL with TSH (p = 0.014 and r = 0.219), while a negative correlation was found with FT4 (p = 0.011 and r = -0.227).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the fact that serum prolactin levels were found to be high during pregnancy, the contribution of macroprolactin was found to be insignificant in our study. Unlike other auto immune diseases, we could not find any relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and PRL, macroPRL or monoPRL %. These results confirmed that measured prolactin was quite homogeneous during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey. dr.metinguclu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guclu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Soner
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cander
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiyici
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vatansever
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Arif Bayram
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hacihasanoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Sevket Yilmaz Research and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gurcan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kisakol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006980:Hyperthyroidism; D007037:Hypothyroidism; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; C006606:anti-thyroglobulin; C060678:prolactin, polymeric; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D011388:Prolactin; D013972:Thyrotropin; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase; D013974:Thyroxine