Prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland. It gets it's name from the hormone that stimulates the breast to produce milk durning pregnancy, called prolactin. Symptoms are caused by too much prolactin in the blood. In women, it can often cause infertility and changes in menstruation. In men, the most common problem is impotence, many men wait so long before going to the doctor they begin to have headaches or eye problems due to the enlarged pituitary gland pressing against nearby eye nerves. When diagnosing a doctor will test thyroid functions, and also MRI scans. Since dopamine is the chemical that nomally inhibits prolactin secrection, doctors may treat prolactinomas with bromocriptine or cabergoline, drugs that act like dopamine. Surgery is also and option if the medical treatment fails to get prolactin secretion to normal levels, shrink the tumor, and restore normal reproduction and pituitary functions.
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