Urinary prolactin as a reliable marker for preeclampsia, its severity, and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Context: It has been proposed that preeclampsia may result from of an imbalance in angiogenic factors. Although prolactin (PRL) is mainly related to lactation, it is also involved in other biological functions, including angiogenesis.

Objective: Our objective was to determine the relationship among preeclampsia, serum and urinary PRL (uPRL) levels, and excretion of antiangiogenic PRL fragments in urine.