Prolactinoma – Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Prolactinoma is the name given to the benign tumor which occurs in the pituitary gland. This tumor is also called by the name of adenoma. Due to this tumor, prolactin hormone is manufactured in large quantities inside the body. The task of prolaction hormone is to support the lactation of a woman. Prolactinomas is a kind of tumor which occurs commonly in pituitary gland. The symptoms and signs of this disease are caused by the release of prolcatin in excess in to blood and the pressure exerted by the tumor over the tissues around it. This may causes a medical condition which is named as hyperprolactinemia.

If we wish to know about the main causes of prolactinoma then it is important to know that its reasons are still not clear to doctors and researchers. Many patients who suffer from this problem have no history of such a condition in their family. Prolactinoma may have its roots in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1. This condition is inherited by some women. This condition is one of the main causes of prolactinoma. There may be some women who do not have such a condition but a tendency to develop prolactinoma. However, the genes which cause prolactinoma in such people are unidentified yet.



Infertility and changes in menstruation cycle are two common symptoms of this problem. Due to prolactinoma, the menstrual periods of women may stop completely or they occur irregularly. Women who are neither pregnant nor nursing a baby may start producing milk as a result of prolactinoma. Dryness in vagina may also occur and this makes intercourse a painful experience. Many women also lose interest in sexual activities due to prolactinoma. For treating this disease, medication is generally given to the patients. Surgical treatment may also be done for those patients who are not benefited by medication. If medication is not successful or mildly successful then radiation therapy and surgery may also be required. The treatment of prolactinoma aims at reducing the size of tumor while bringing the leve of prolactin to normal in the body.