Does hyperprolactinemia treatment affect pregnancy and perinatal outcomes?

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess obstetric and perinatal outcomes in women with hyperprolactinemia according to the type of treatment indicated, with cabergoline or bromocriptine.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study with 464 women diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia was undertaken at the endocrine gynecology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital from May 2002 to February 2022. All women diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia who were being treated with dopamine agonists (cabergoline or bromocriptine) and who became pregnant during the follow-up were included. Women whose medical records did not provide data related to pregnancy and delivery were excluded. The women were divided into two groups according to the type of treatment: bromocriptine or cabergoline. Clinical and laboratory characteristics and obstetric and perinatal outcomes, such as complications during pregnancy, type of delivery, and intrapartum complications, were evaluated in both groups.

Results: Of the 464 women evaluated, 72 became pregnant during the follow-up, 66 of them were using dopamine agonists, while 6 were not using medication. The mean age of the women was 28.3±6.8 years. Among the causes of hyperprolactinemia, 48.6% were idiopathic, 45.7% were tumoral, and 3.7% had other causes. Most women with idiopathic hyperprolactinemia used bromocriptine, while those with tumoral hyperprolactinemia used cabergoline (p=0.04). There was no difference in obstetric outcomes according to the type of treatment used. The majority of women did not have any complications during pregnancy (76.3%) or intrapartum (86.8%).

Conclusion: Regardless of the type of previous drug treatment with dopamine agonists, hyperprolactinemia does not alter obstetric outcomes.