Serious Symptoms Of A Prolactinoma

Headaches

A prolactinoma in the pituitary gland can grow to become relatively large, which causes the gland itself to become enlarged. The pituitary gland is located in a central location close to numerous other brain tissues and structures. All of the brain structures and tissues are located in and sit inside the skull. When the pituitary gland becomes abnormally enlarged due to the growth of any kind of tumor, the surrounding tissues like the optic chiasm and others become compressed from the increased pressure inside of the skull. The skull is not designed to expand with the increased volume of tissue in the brain. Therefore, a prolactinoma or another type of tumor in the brain tissues can cause the pressure to build up inside of the skull bones and produce painful cluster-like headaches in affected individuals.

Infertility

This kind of pituitary tumor causes a condition referred to as hyperprolactinemia, or too much prolactin in the body, which can cause an affected woman to experience infertility through a few different mechanisms. High levels of prolactin in a woman's body can cause her to stop ovulating completely, which will cause her to have problems becoming pregnant. Another way hyperprolactinemia can cause infertility is through the luteal phase defect.

The luteal phase defect occurs when a woman ovulates as usual, but her body does not produce enough progesterone after she has ovulated. Without enough progesterone after ovulation, the lining of a woman's uterus is not able to support the implantation of an embryo. Some women who have a smaller prolactinoma may experience ovulation that occurs infrequently enough to make it difficult for her to become pregnant.