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Prolactinomas, cabergoline, and pregnancy

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Abstract

Hyperprolactinemia, frequently caused by a prolactinoma, is an important cause of infertility among young women. Dopamine agonists (DA) are the treatment of choice. Although cabergoline (CAB) is currently considered the gold standard DA, bromocriptine (BRC) remains the drug of choice for women desiring pregnancy, as it was proven to be safe in more than 6,000 pregnancies. The purpose of this review is to perform a critical evaluation of CAB safety in pregnancy, as it is used by most patients harboring prolactinomas. Although the number of CAB-induced pregnancies (about 800) is still reduced as compared with those under BRC treatment, data in the literature do not point to increase risk of preterm delivery or fetal malformations, comparing to pregnancies induced by BRC and those in the general population. Moreover, CAB use throughout pregnancy was reported in about ten cases, without evidence of any harm to fetal development. Therefore, even though BRC still remains the recommended DA drug for pregnancy induction or use during pregnancy in women with prolactinomas, increasing evidences point to the safety of CAB for this purpose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroendocrine Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Andrea Glezer & Marcello D. Bronstein

  2. Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Endocrinology (LIM/25), University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Rua Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 155 8 andar bloco 03, São Paulo, SP, 05403-000, Brazil

    Andrea Glezer & Marcello D. Bronstein

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  1. Andrea Glezer
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Correspondence to Marcello D. Bronstein.

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Glezer, A., Bronstein, M.D. Prolactinomas, cabergoline, and pregnancy. Endocrine 47, 64–69 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-014-0334-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-014-0334-7

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