What is the pituitary gland?
The pituitary gland sits in a pocket of the skull under the middle part of the brain. It’s a small but important part of the body.
It is controlled in two ways – either by receiving signals from the part of the brain called the hypothalamus or by sensing levels of hormones in the body.
Why is the pituitary gland so important to our hormone system?
The pituitary gland makes many different hormones that either have a direct effect on the body or control the actions of other glands that produce hormones in the body. This includes:
Growth hormone – regulates growth in children and health in adults
Thyroid stimulating hormone – tells the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormones
Prolactin – controls breast milk production
Fertility hormones – Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) involved in the reproductive cycle
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) – helps control the adrenal glands
Oxytocin – involved in childbirth and breastfeeding
Antidiuretic hormone – helps control how much fluid is in your body
What is a pituitary disorder?
When the pituitary gland is disturbed, it can make too much or too little of a hormone. It can also become a site for tumours. Most pituitary gland tumours are benign and only cause problems when they change hormone levels or take up too much space and start to squash the surrounding brain tissue.
How do pituitary disorders affect the body?
Pituitary disorders affect the body in different ways, depending on the hormones that are affected. Some of the most common pituitary conditions include:
Growth hormone deficiency
Growth hormone is a small protein made in the pituitary gland that stimulates growth in all body tissues. In children, not having enough of this hormone can delay growth and cause a child to be shorter than expected. In adults, it can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, excess weight and problems with bone health.
Hyperprolactinaemia (too much prolactin)
Prolactin is the hormone that tells the body to make breast milk. It’s normal for a woman who is pregnant or breast-feeding to have higher levels of prolactin. However, when the pituitary gland produces too much prolactin, it can lead to problems in both women and men.
In women, the fertility hormones can be affected. Your periods might get lighter or stop; and you might have difficulty getting pregnant. You might also start producing breast milk even though you are not pregnant or breastfeeding. In men, the hormone effect is reversed, which may cause symptoms like reduced libido and erectile dysfunction.
Hypopituitarism
In hypopituitarism, there is a deficiency in all the pituitary hormones. This condition causes many different symptoms depending on the levels of the various hormones and the body functions that are affected when these levels drop.
Rare pituitary conditions
Other pituitary conditions are rare but can still affect children and adults.
These include:
Acromegaly — occurs when there is too much growth hormone. Symptoms include sweating, diabetes, and enlargement of the hands, feet and jaw. If it occurs in childhood it is called gigantism and the child grows abnormally fast and tall
Cushing’s syndrome — where the body is exposed to too much of the hormone cortisol, either because your body is making too much or because you have taken a lot of oral corticosteroid medicines.
How do I know if I have a pituitary disorder?
Pituitary disorders can be hard to diagnose at first because they can look like other things. It’s important to listen to your body and if something doesn’t feel right, talk to your GP.
Our endocrinologists are very experienced diagnosing all forms of hormone-related conditions. Most conditions are highly treatable. The specific treatment depends on the systems of the body that are affected.