Low Prolactin Causes Sex Problems In Men?

[ecstatichamster]

https://www.researchgate.net/public...lderly_Men_The_European_Male_Aging_Study_EMAS


We previously reported that in male patients consulting for sexual dysfunction, low prolactin (PRL) levels were associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), arteriogenic erectile dysfunction, and incident major cardiovascular events. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical associations of PRL levels in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). EMAS is a prospective, observational cohort of community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years old (mean age 60 ± 11 years old). PRL was available for 2,948 men. Different parameters were evaluated including the Short Form-36 questionnaire, Becks Depression Inventory, the Adverse Life Events Scale, the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, and the EMAS sexual function questionnaire (EMAS-SFQ). After the adjustment for confounders, PRL levels were inversely related with worsening of sexual function as compared with the previous year, as derived from change in sexual functioning domain of the EMAS-SFQ (adj. r = -0.043; P = 0.029). The strongest correlation (Wald = 6.840; P = 0.009) was observed between lower PRL levels and reduced enjoyment of orgasmic experiences. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between PRL levels and stressful life events or depressive symptoms was observed. Low PRL was also negatively associated with an unhealthy metabolic phenotype as well as with the MetS (Wald = 5.229; P = 0.022). In line with these data, low PRL was associated with a lower level of physical activity and feeling unhealthier. Low PRL is related to several metabolic, psychological, and sexual unhealthy characteristics in European men. Checking PRL might be useful to stratif

 

[Koveras]

https://www.researchgate.net/public...lderly_Men_The_European_Male_Aging_Study_EMAS


We previously reported that in male patients consulting for sexual dysfunction, low prolactin (PRL) levels were associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), arteriogenic erectile dysfunction, and incident major cardiovascular events. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical associations of PRL levels in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). EMAS is a prospective, observational cohort of community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years old (mean age 60 ± 11 years old). PRL was available for 2,948 men. Different parameters were evaluated including the Short Form-36 questionnaire, Becks Depression Inventory, the Adverse Life Events Scale, the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, and the EMAS sexual function questionnaire (EMAS-SFQ). After the adjustment for confounders, PRL levels were inversely related with worsening of sexual function as compared with the previous year, as derived from change in sexual functioning domain of the EMAS-SFQ (adj. r = -0.043; P = 0.029). The strongest correlation (Wald = 6.840; P = 0.009) was observed between lower PRL levels and reduced enjoyment of orgasmic experiences. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between PRL levels and stressful life events or depressive symptoms was observed. Low PRL was also negatively associated with an unhealthy metabolic phenotype as well as with the MetS (Wald = 5.229; P = 0.022). In line with these data, low PRL was associated with a lower level of physical activity and feeling unhealthier. Low PRL is related to several metabolic, psychological, and sexual unhealthy characteristics in European men. Checking PRL might be useful to stratif

Gotta love statistics

Some interesting points and a bit of my own interpretation

-Perhaps most relevant - chronically high prolactin tends to reduce testosterone, which has negative effects on sexual function, but the authors used statistical adjustment to remove the effect of testosterone levels on sexual function - so I'm not sure how relevant the results are to real life anymore

-It is noted that acute spikes in prolactin facilitate sexual behaviour, and prolactin stimulates estrogen, and estrogen has a well known role in sexual stimulation (but is not the only factor). As with prolactin, chronically elevated estrogen would tend to reduce testosterone and reduce sexual function, and increase stress

-Low prolactin in this study was associated with the number of stressful "adverse life events" in the last year. Which is interesting in and of itself that prolactin was lower in this scenario, but could also suggest "adverse life events" are associated with worse sexual function

-Other association studies, such as the one referred to in the last sentence of the paragraph below, imply low libido from low prolactin levels, as expected.

"The present results are in apparent contrast with the well-accepted concept that, in men, severe, chronic hyperprolactinemia is associated with an overall impairment in sexual functioning. It should be recognized that we [7] and others [4] previously reported that the relationship between ED and hyperprolactinemia was not confirmed after adjusting for testosterone levels. In other words, severe hyperprolactinemia is associated with ED just because of the hyperprolactinemia associated hypogonadal state. A hypogonadism- independent, negative effect of chronic hyperprolactinemia on sexual desire was also extensively described [7,8]. However, it is important to recognize that some studies in animals indicate that acute, but not chronic, pharmacological elevation of brain PRL was associated with a facilitated, rather than an impaired, sexual behavior, including increased penile erection, mounting, and intromission activity [44,45]. In a population- based birth cohort study of men from the Philippines, basal PRL was inversely related to mating effort, as indicated by the number of life- time sexual partners in men, as well as the sexual activity in the month preceding the PRL measurement [46]. In that study, men without offspring who reported no sexual activity and/or the lowest number of sexual partners had the lowest concentrations of PRL [46]."