Prolactin is the anterior pituitary hormone primarily responsible for initiating and maintaining milk production (lactogenesis) in the mammary glands after childbirth. During pregnancy, high levels of estrogen and progesterone prepare the breast tissue for lactation but inhibit milk secretion. After delivery, the sudden drop in these hormones allows prolactin to take effect. Suckling by the infant is the most powerful stimulus for prolactin secretion; it triggers nerve signals that inhibit dopamine release from the hypothalamus. Since dopamine normally inhibits prolactin, its reduction leads to a surge in prolactin. High prolactin levels stimulate the alveolar cells in the breast to synthesize and secrete milk. While oxytocin is needed for milk ejection, prolactin is essential for milk synthesis. Prolactin also suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, contributing to postpartum infertility.

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Zambia

• Naomi Miselo – 31 pts

• Visual Pathway Lesions
• Positive and Negative Symptoms
• Hallucinations and Delusions
• Antipsychotic Medications
• Emergency: Environmental Emergencies