Pituitary gland?

Question

I apparently have too high prolactin even though I am not pregnant. The doc tells me this is due to my pituitary gland.

Can anyone tell me more?

The doc has given me DOSTINEX tabs, each week for a month, and she tells me after that the level will drop.

does anyone know about this sub and can explain for me in plain english??

many thanks

Answer 1

Hello...is this Dr. an endocrinologist? If not, has she referred you to one? What other tests is she doing? What kind of Dr. would just give you meds for one hormone produced by the pituitary and not investigate the cause and affects on the other hormones? You need to see an endocrinologist who specializes in pituitary problems. Go to this site to find a Dr. www.pituitary.org. Most Drs have no clue about this stuff..how to test, how to read tests, etc. You need necessary testing: pituitary MRI, labs of cortisol, growth hormone, thyroid, repro hormones, etc. The cause of pituitary problems is usually a tumor which are almost always benign. Sometimes they need to be removed (the tumor if it is growing or secreting) but never allow them to take the whole pituitary gland out. The high prolactin is just a small piece of the puzzle...this really needs to be investigated by a specialist!

Answer 2

What you should know about hyperprolactinemia
What is hyperprolactinemia (HPL)?
"Hyper" means "too much." HPL is caused by too much prolactin in your blood.4

What is prolactin?
It is a hormone. This hormone is made by the pituitary gland.5

What does prolactin do?
The primary role is to help the body make breast milk after childbirth.5

What causes high levels of prolactin?
In men, normal prolactin levels should remain relatively constant. It is normal for a woman to make more prolactin at times. She may make more when pregnant or breast-feeding.
High levels are also caused by:
An underactive thyroid gland
Some medicines, including some that treat high blood pressure, mental health problems, and ulcers
A growth in the pituitary gland
Unknown causes

What is DOSTINEX for?
DOSTINEX is a drug used to treat hyperprolactinemia (HPL) due to a pituitary tumor or when a cause cannot be identified.

Answer 3

A small oval endocrine gland attached to the base of the vertebrate brain and consisting of an anterior and a posterior lobe, the secretions of which control the other endocrine glands and influence growth, metabolism, and maturation. Also called hypophysis , pituitary body .
FUNCTION: Often called the master gland. Posterior portion of the pituitary - Regulates kidney's function.

Also produces oxytocin hormone which stimulates contractions of the uterus.

Anterior portion of the pituitary - Influences the other glands of the body also controls growth.

The Pituitary produces the following hormones:

Oxytocin - Causes the uterus to contract (for child birth)
FSH - Follicular Stimulating Hormone - Stimulates follicle (small cavity in the ovaries) where eggs mature and are then expelled. This hormone regulates the production of sperm or maturing of eggs.
TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
ACTH - Adrenal CorTex hormone - How we metabolize certain types of food as well as stimulating the lymphatic system.
LH - Leutinizing Hormone - which stimulates ovaries and testes.
LTH - LacTogenic Hormone - stimulates ovaries to produce progesterone also influences lactation, helps produce the mothering instinct.
ADH - AntiDiuretic Hormone - helps regulation of water balance.
ICSH - Interstitial Cell-Stimulating Hormone - helps with the maturing of sperm.
MSH - Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone - helps regulate the formation of melanin the pigment found in the skin.
GH - Growth Hormone - stimulates body cells to increase in size and undergo accelerated cell division.

Answer 4

have a look at prolactin and progeterone on google. the herb agnus castus can affect this

Answer 5

The pituitary gland causes your brain to smell like bananas. That is its only function.

Answer 6

hope some of this info helps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituitary_gland