Question:medium
Prolactin is secreted maximally at:
Prolactin is secreted maximally at:
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Think of when the breast needs the most prolactin to start milk.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- 24 hours after delivery
- REM sleep
- 2 hours of running
- 24 hours after ovulation
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Clinical logic: prolactin's whole purpose is lactation, so its peak lines up with the start of milk production, that is, the first 24 hours after delivery.
Why the others fail: the sleep surge in prolactin is tied to NREM (slow-wave) sleep, not REM, so option 2 is a classic trap. Exercise such as running does bump prolactin, but only modestly, nowhere near the postpartum peak, so option 3 is out. By 24 hours after ovulation, rising estrogen feeds back negatively and pushes prolactin down, ruling out option 4.
The mechanism: during pregnancy high estrogen and progesterone keep the lactotrophs busy but suppressed; at delivery these steroids crash, disinhibiting the lactotrophs and producing a sharp prolactin rise to drive milk synthesis.
So the maximum is 24 hours after delivery.
Why the others fail: the sleep surge in prolactin is tied to NREM (slow-wave) sleep, not REM, so option 2 is a classic trap. Exercise such as running does bump prolactin, but only modestly, nowhere near the postpartum peak, so option 3 is out. By 24 hours after ovulation, rising estrogen feeds back negatively and pushes prolactin down, ruling out option 4.
The mechanism: during pregnancy high estrogen and progesterone keep the lactotrophs busy but suppressed; at delivery these steroids crash, disinhibiting the lactotrophs and producing a sharp prolactin rise to drive milk synthesis.
So the maximum is 24 hours after delivery.
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