There’s nothing more frustrating than not feeling well and not being able to figure out why. It can be especially challenging when your symptoms don’t seem to go together (irregular periods and vision changes?).
One thing that can potentially cause a wide variety of unusual symptoms is a pituitary disorder. “The pituitary gland is very small, but it plays an essential role in keeping the body’s hormones in a balanced state,” says Karam Paul Asmaro, M.D., neurosurgeon at Henry Ford Health who specializes in complex pituitary and skull base tumors.
Learning what the pituitary gland does and what can go wrong may help lead to a diagnosis—and even a cure.
What Is The Role Of The Pituitary Gland?
The pituitary gland is a pea-sized organ near the base of the brain. It controls many important hormonal functions throughout the body. “The brain delivers instructions to the pituitary gland, which responds by sending out hormones that tell the body what to do,” explains Dr. Asmaro.
Some of the hormones affected by the pituitary gland include:
- Cortisol production in the adrenal glands
- Follicle-stimulating hormone to regulate egg and sperm production
- Luteinizing hormone to stimulate estrogen and testosterone
- Prolactin to produce breast milk
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone to regulate thyroid hormones
Common Pituitary Disorders
The growth of a tumor on the pituitary gland is the most common cause of pituitary dysfunction. While the idea of a pituitary tumor may sound scary, these tumors are almost always benign (noncancerous).
Pituitary tumors are also called adenomas. “They can be functional—meaning they overproduce hormones—or they can be non-functional,” says Dr. Asmaro. Non-functional pituitary tumors don’t produce hormones.
Most pituitary disorders are caused by pituitary tumors. These include:
- Acromegaly causes overproduction of growth hormone. Too much growth hormone results in enlargement of the hands and feet, as well as changes to facial structure.
- Cushing’s disease is when the body makes too much cortisol, leading to excessive weight gain, stretch marks, high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Prolactinoma leads to high levels of the hormone prolactin, which can cause irregular periods, no periods and infertility in women, and low testosterone in men. In some cases, people may experience breast tenderness and discharge.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Pituitary Disorder?
The symptoms of a pituitary disorder depend on which type of hormone production is affected. That’s why a malfunctioning pituitary gland can cause so many diverse and unusual symptoms. Pituitary tumors can also cause symptoms by pressing on the optic nerves.
Common symptoms of pituitary disorders can include:
- Breast tenderness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Infertility
- Irregular periods
- Low testosterone
- Vision changes (especially narrowing of peripheral vision)
- Weight gain
Diagnosing Pituitary Disorders
“Pituitary disorders are definitely hard to diagnose,” says Dr. Asmaro. “And because they cause so many different symptoms, people are often misdiagnosed.” Getting an accurate diagnosis is essential so that you can get the right treatment.
If you’re experiencing a host of unusual symptoms, your primary care physician can test your hormone levels. Depending on those results, you may need to see an endocrinologist for a full hormonal evaluation.
Imaging tests, such as MRI, are the best way to see if there’s a pituitary tumor present. Those images can also show the tumor’s location and size, which can help guide treatment.
Pituitary Disorder Treatment at Henry Ford
Treatment For Pituitary Disorders
The right treatment for a pituitary disorder depends on whether a tumor is producing hormones, its size and location, or other factors causing hormonal imbalances.
“Pituitary tumors don’t always need to be removed, especially if they’re small and not producing hormones,” says Dr. Asmaro. “If it’s not causing symptoms, we might just watch it.”
If a tumor is affecting vision or leading to over- or underproduction of hormones, you’ll need treatment. In many cases, removing the tumor returns the pituitary gland to normal function. Hormone levels start to regulate and symptoms begin to go away.
Medication to shrink tumors or regulate hormones can also improve symptoms of pituitary disorders.
Because pituitary disorders can be tricky to diagnose, Dr. Asmaro encourages patients to advocate for themselves. “If you feel something’s not right, talk to your primary care physician.”
Reviewed by Dr. Karam P. Asmaro, a neurosurgeon who sees patients at Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital clinics.
