| pubmed-article:7061894 | pubmed:abstractText | Serum cortisol levels were previously shown to increase during labor and delivery in term-pregnants. In the present study, the same sera were investigated for the prolactin levels. The mean levels of 169.1 +/- 15.6 (SE) ng/ml prior to the onset of labor fell significantly to 98.8 +/- 15.6 and 116.8 +/- 15.6ng/ml immediately before and after delivery, respectively . However, the prolactin levels were found to have rather risen in 2 and 6 cases immediately before and after delivery, respectively. Increases in serm cortisol levels during labor in these cases were much greater than in other cases. This indicates that labor-stress, if powerful, can stimulate prolactin release in term-pregnants, as other kinds of stress in non-pregnants and animals. The present results may interpreted as follows: Unknown factors are inhibiting the prolactin release naturally stimulated with labor-stress, and the increased stimulation of labor-stress can release prolactin specially as immediately after delivery. | lld:pubmed |
