Overview of the Pituitary Gland

The pituitary gland is a pea-sized bit of tissue at the bottom of your brain. Glands are organs that make and release hormones into your blood. Hormones are chemicals that stimulate other cells or tissues into action. The pituitary gland puts out many different hormones. Each pituitary hormone controls a different gland and body function.

The Pituitary and Hypothalamus

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The pituitary gland is controlled by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus.

Locating the Pituitary Gland

Each pituitary hormone controls different glands and body functions.

Pituitary hormones include:

• ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone): Controls your adrenal gland hormones, which affect heart rate, blood pressure, and the balance of salt and water in your body

• Growth hormone: Controls how fast and big your body grows

• Thyroid-stimulating hormone: Controls your thyroid gland hormones, which control how fast your body's chemical functions work (metabolic rate)

• Luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone: Control your sex hormones testosterone and estrogen, which affect fertility

• Prolactin: Controls the production of breast milk

Your pituitary gland may:

• Not make enough hormones

• Make too many hormones

Sometimes there's a problem with only one pituitary hormone. Other times, you have a problem with many or all of the hormones.

If your pituitary gland produces too much, or not enough, of a hormone, you can get health problems such as:

• Increased growth (acromegaly and gigantism)

• Decreased growth (short stature)

• Unexpected breast milk production (galactorrhea)

• Excessive thirst and urination, which can dehydrate you (central diabetes insipidus)

• Excessive weakness and tiredness (hypothyroidism)

• Erectile dysfunction

• Menstrual problems

Causes of pituitary gland problems include:

• A pituitary gland tumor

• A head injury

• An autoimmune disease or other disease

• Radiation therapy to your head

Doctors suspect pituitary gland problems from your symptoms. They'll do tests such as:

• CT scan (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the brain to see if your pituitary gland has grown or shrunk

• Blood tests measuring hormone levels from the hypothalamus, pituitary, and other glands

Treatment depends on the type of problem you have. It may include:

• Medicine to counteract the effect of too many hormones

• Surgery to remove a tumor

• Hormone therapy to replace hormones your body doesn't make enough of