What is a prolactinoma?
A prolactinoma is a benign (noncancerous) tumor of the pituitary gland, which produces a hormone called prolactin. A prolactinoma is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms are caused by too much prolactin in the blood (a condition called hyperprolactinemia) or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues.
It must be very worrying to have been diagnosed with a prolactinoma, please allow me to explain things for you. A previous answer of mine summarises some facts around prolactinoma and can be read here.
A prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that produces a hormone called prolactin. It is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are caused by too much prolactin in the blood (hyperprolactinemia) or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues. Prolactin stimulates the breast to produce milk during pregnancy. After delivery of the baby, a mother’s prolactin levels fall unless she breast feeds her infant. Each time the baby nurses, prolactin levels rise to maintain milk production.
* What Is the Pituitary Gland? * How Common Is Prolactinoma? * What Causes Prolactinoma? * What Are the Symptoms? * What Else Causes Prolactin To Rise? * How is Prolactinoma Diagnosed? * How Is Prolactinoma Treated? * How Does Prolactinoma Effect Pregnancy and Oral Contraceptives? * Is Osteoporosis a Risk in Women with High Prolactin Levels? * What Other Resources Are Available? What Is a Prolactinoma? A prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland that produces a hormone called prolactin. It is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are caused by too much prolactin in the blood (hyperprolactinemia) or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues. Prolactin stimulates the breast to produce milk during pregnancy. After delivery of the baby, a mother’s prolactin levels fall unless she breast feeds her infant. Each time the baby nurses, prolactin levels rise to maintain milk production. What Is the Pituitary Gland? The pituitary gland, sometimes call
