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Prolactin levels in Western Lowland gorillas
Author(s) -
Laughlin Shan,
Meehan Thomas,
Zinaman Michael J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.20572
Subject(s) - prolactin , menstrual cycle , luteinizing hormone , fertility , infertility , hormone , physiology , menstruation , biology , endocrinology , medicine , reproductive cycle , reproduction , ecology , population , pregnancy , genetics , environmental health
Hyperprolactinemia is known to cause menstrual irregularity and infertility in humans. However, little is known about the role of prolactin in menstruation and fertility in Western Lowland gorillas. To create a database of prolactin values in gorillas, we have performed immunoassays on serum specimens dating back to 1983 from nine female gorillas at the Brookfield Zoo. We matched these samples with documented behavioral data to correlate menstrual timing. In addition, we ran other reproductive hormones both to aid in determining the phase of the menstrual cycle and to evaluate the effect of the prolactin on suppression of these hormones during the premenarchal and postpartum phases. We found that values for luteinizing hormone, follicle‐stimulating hormone, estradiol and progesterone cycle in very similar patterns to humans. Based on the 59 available samples, prolactin was found to be higher in gorillas than in humans in nearly every phase of the menstrual cycle (range 49.9–93.7 ng/mL) and such levels do not appear to alter the reproductive axis as it does in humans. Thus, prolactin may have a different impact on fertility in gorillas than it does in humans. Am. J. Primatol. 70: 897–900, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.