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The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea and is located in a bony hollow, just behind the bridge of the nose. It is attached to the base of your brain by a thin stalk. The pituitary gland is often called the “master gland” because it controls several other hormone glands in your body, including the thyroid and adrenals, the ovaries and testicles. It secretes hormones from both the front part (anterior) and the back part (posterior) of the gland.
Hormones are chemicals that carry messages from one cell to another through your blood-stream. When your pituitary gland is not producing sufficient amounts of one or more hormones this is called hypopituitarism.
If on the other hand you are over producing certain hormones, then you would have features due to the over production of the specific hormone concerned.
The Hypothalamus
This gland serves as a communications center for the pituitary gland, by sending messages or signals to the pituitary in the form of hormones which travel via the bloodstream and nerves down the pituitary stalk. These signals, in turn, control the production and release of further hormones from the pituitary gland which signal other glands and organs in the body.
The hypothalamus influences the functions of temperature regulation, food intake, thirst and water intake, sleep and wake patterns, emotional behavior and memory.
The pituitary gland itself consists of 2 major structures:
- Anterior lobe
- Posterior lobe
Functions of the pituitary gland
Each lobe of the pituitary gland makes certain hormones.
Anterior lobe
- Growth hormone
- Prolactin (to stimulate milk production in the female breast)
- ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone which regulates the adrenal glands)
- TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone which regulates the thyroid gland)
- FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone which regulates the ovaries and testes)
- LH (luteinizing hormone which regulates the ovaries or testes)
Posterior lobe
- ADH (antidiuretic hormone is produced in the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary gland; it increases absorption of water by the kidneys. It also increases blood pressure)
- Oxytocin (to contract the uterus during childbirth and stimulate the release of milk during breastfeeding)
What can go wrong with the pituitary gland?
The most common problem with the pituitary gland occurs when a benign tumor (used to describe a ‘growth’), also called an adenoma, develops.
Pituitary tumors are not ‘brain tumors’. The term benign is used by doctors to describe a swelling which is not cancerous. Some pituitary tumors can exist for years without causing symptoms and some will never produce symptoms.
Most pituitary tumors occur in people with no family history of pituitary problems and the condition is not usually passed on from generation to generation. Only very occasionally are tumors inherited – for example, in a condition known as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN1).
By far the most common type of tumor (about half of all cases) is the ‘non-functioning’ tumor.
This is a tumor which doesn’t produce any hormones itself. It can cause headaches and visual problems or it can press on the pituitary gland, causing it to stop producing the required amount of one or more of the pituitary hormones. This effect can also occur following treatment you are given for a tumor, such as surgery or radiotherapy.
Alternatively, your pituitary tumor may begin to generate too much of one or more hormones.
The more common pituitary conditions include acromegaly, Cushing’s, diabetes insipidus, hypogonadism, hypopituitarism and prolactinoma.
Hormones
Hormones are chemicals which circulate in the blood stream and spread around the body to carry messages or signals to different parts of the body. The name hormone comes from the Greek word hormao meaning “I excite” and refers to the fact that each hormone excites or stimulates a part of the body known as the target gland.
Hormones are made in endocrine glands and passed from the cells of the gland directly into the blood flowing through the gland. Generally, the higher the amount of hormone that is in the blood, the greater the effect it’s on the target cells.
While all cells are exposed to hormones circulating in the bloodstream, not all cells react. Only a hormone’s “target” cells, which have receptors for that hormone, will respond to its signal. When the hormone binds to its receptor, it causes a biological response within the cell. If we liken a hormone to a radio signal, then a receptor is the antenna. Without the antenna, no signal would be received and no music would exit the radio. Signaling ends when the circulating hormones are broken down and excreted by the body.
Hormone disrupting chemicals, or “endocrine disruptors,” can act at any point along this hormone signaling pathway. Some are hormone mimics: they bind the receptor and send a false signal – one not commanded by the brain. Others block the action of a natural hormone, keeping it from binding its receptor and having an effect. Endocrine disruptors can also alter the amount of hormone synthesized, how fast it is degraded, or the way in which a target cell responds. These mechanisms of action can have the same effect: interrupted development in an embryo, or altered functioning in an adult.
The good news, for both men and women, is that hormone loss and imbalance is easily correctible. Through state-of-the-art diagnostic hormone testing, using saliva, urine and/or blood analysis, you can determine your hormone levels and your unique bioidentical hormone needs.
References:
The Pituitary Foundation