The short answer
Measures the hormone responsible for milk production — elevated levels can affect fertility and menstrual function, measured from a standard blood draw. At TestWell it costs $39.99 plus a $6 lab processing fee, needs no fasting, and results post in 2–4 business days. Physician-authorized with no doctor's visit or insurance needed; draw at Quest or Labcorp.
Hospital Lab
$200
cash pay
Other Labs
$79
+ lab fees
TestWell
$39.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
Prolactin is a hormone primarily associated with breast milk production, but it also plays roles in reproductive health, immune regulation, and metabolism. Elevated prolactin (hyperprolactinemia) can cause irregular periods, infertility, low libido, and galactorrhea in both men and women. Common causes include pituitary adenomas, medications, and hypothyroidism.
Pituitary hormone primarily responsible for milk production. Elevated prolactin (outside pregnancy/breastfeeding) can cause infertility, irregular periods, low libido, and erectile dysfunction.
Women with infertility, irregular periods, unexplained breast milk discharge (galactorrhea); men with low libido or erectile dysfunction; anyone evaluating pituitary tumor (prolactinoma).
Sample Type
Blood draw
Fasting
Not required
Results In
2–4 business days
Performed At
Quest or Labcorp
Your Prolactin results will include values for each of the 1 biomarker tested, along with reference ranges. Results are reviewed by a licensed physician before being released to your secure portal.
If any values fall outside the normal range, your report will include guidance on what that may mean and recommended next steps. You'll receive an email notification when your results are ready, typically within 2–4 business days.
Typical reference range layout
Lab reports show where your value sits relative to established reference intervals—your physician interprets this in context for you. Already have results? Analyze them with your AI assistant against our physician-reviewed ranges.
No fasting required. Best drawn in the morning. Avoid breast stimulation before the test.
What can throw off this result
Physician-reviewed “Before your test” pages — what each factor does, for how long, and what to do about it.
A Prolactin test costs $39.99 at TestWell — $45.99 all-in when ordered alone, because the $6 lab processing fee is charged once per order, with no draw fee or physician fee added. Ordered directly from the labs' own consumer sites, the same test lists at $79.00 at Labcorp OnDemand (list prices checked Sep 12, 2026). Hospital outpatient labs typically bill around $200.00 self-pay for the same test, and often more. With insurance, what you pay depends on your deductible and your plan's negotiated rate; TestWell's price is fixed before the draw and is HSA/FSA-eligible. Full cost breakdown →
| Where you order | Price | One test, all-in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TestWell (drawn at Quest) | $39.99 | $45.99 | Includes the one $6 lab processing fee, charged once per order |
| TestWell (drawn at Labcorp) | $43.99 | $49.99 | Labcorp's own cost for this test is higher; same order, same portal, same physician review |
| TestWell (drawn at BioReference — New York & New Jersey) | $45.99 | $51.99 | New York and New Jersey orders route to BioReference; Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand don't take self-ordered draws in those states |
| Labcorp OnDemand (Labcorp's own site) | $79.00 | $79.00 | list price checked Sep 12, 2026 |
| Hospital outpatient lab, self-pay (typical) | $200.00 | $200.00 | Reference figure; hospital charges vary widely by facility and are often higher |
42% less than the lower lab-direct list price, for the same draw at the same lab. Lab test codes: Quest test code 746 · Labcorp test no. 004465 · BioReference code 0134-7. Competitor prices are read from the linked public pages and re-checked regularly; the labs' sites may add taxes or change prices without notice.
Compare more: Quest Diagnostics price list · Labcorp price list · Quest vs Labcorp · Lab test price checker
Non-pregnant women: 4-23 ng/mL. Men: 4-15 ng/mL. Pregnancy and breastfeeding can elevate it 10x. Mild elevations (20-50 ng/mL) are usually from stress, medications, or recent breast stimulation. Levels >100 ng/mL warrant MRI to evaluate for prolactinoma.
Most common: medications (antipsychotics, SSRIs, metoclopramide, opioids, verapamil), stress, pregnancy/breastfeeding, hypothyroidism. Less common but important: prolactinoma (pituitary tumor), other pituitary lesions, chronic kidney disease, chest wall stimulation (recent surgery, shingles).
On TestWell, Prolactin is $39.99. Quest Direct lists the same test at $79, walk-in hospital labs typically bill $150-200 without insurance.
Morning (8-10 AM) for the most accurate baseline — prolactin peaks during sleep and drops throughout the day. Avoid breast stimulation, intense exercise, and stressful events for 24 hours before. Repeat any elevated result before pursuing imaging.
Yes — prolactin is a standard part of any fertility workup. Bundle with LH, FSH, Estradiol, and TSH. The Fertility Women Panel includes prolactin at a discount.
Ordered directly, a Prolactin test lists at $79.00 at Labcorp OnDemand (prices checked September 2026). TestWell orders the same test at the same Quest or Labcorp patient service centers for $39.99 — $45.99 all-in with the $6 per-order lab processing fee — paid out of pocket at checkout with no insurance, doctor's visit or draw fee; HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Prolactin test results are typically ready in 2–4 business days after your draw at Quest or Labcorp. TestWell emails you the moment they post, and your results dashboard shows each marker against its reference range with a plain-English explanation.
No, fasting is not required for a Prolactin test — you can eat normally and book any time of day. Best drawn in the morning. Avoid breast stimulation before the test.
Antidepressants and antipsychotics and time of day can change a Prolactin test result without anything being wrong. Antidepressants and antipsychotics can raise Prolactin — list all medications with the order; a clinician interprets the level with the drug in mind. Time of day can raise Prolactin — draw 2–3 hours after waking, rested, fasting. Each factor is covered on our physician-reviewed "Before your test" pages; when one applies, the fix is usually to remove it and retest.
Order the Prolactin test online from TestWell for $39.99 (plus a $6 per-order lab processing fee) — no doctor's visit, referral or insurance needed. A licensed physician authorizes the order, then you walk into any Quest or Labcorp patient service center near you for the draw (the lab locator on our site lists the closest ones by ZIP code), and results arrive in 2–4 business days.
The CPT code for a Prolactin test is 84146. You can order it from TestWell for $39.99 — no doctor's visit or insurance required, with results in 2–4 business days.
The Prolactin test is Quest Diagnostics test code 746, Labcorp test number 004465, BioReference code 0134-7 (CPT 84146). TestWell orders it under those codes for $39.99 at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference — no doctor's visit or insurance required, results in 2–4 business days. Codes verified against the labs' catalogs in 2026.
Medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD · Last reviewed September 2026
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