Which organ produces prolactin

Finally, although it is well known that dopamine of hypothalamic origin provides inhibitory control over the secretion of prolactin, other factors within the brain, pituitary gland, and peripheral organs have been shown to inhibit or stimulate prolactin secretion as well. It is the purpose of this review to provide a comprehensive survey of our current understanding of prolactin's function and its regulation and to expose some of the controversies still existing. Abstract Prolactin is a protein hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that was originally named for its ability to promote lactation in response to the suckling stimulus of hungry young mammals.

The condition of having too much prolactin circulating in the blood is called hyperprolactinaemia. The most common causes of hyperprolactinaemia include pregnancy, medications that reduce dopamine action in the body, thyroid underactivity and benign pituitary tumours known as prolactinomas. Symptoms can include the unwanted production of milk, disturbances to the menstrual cycle and symptoms due to oestrogen deficiency in women or testosterone deficiency in men.

The vast majority of patients with a prolactinoma can be treated successfully using drugs which mimic the action of dopamine. The most commonly used is cabergoline. The condition of having too little prolactin circulating in the blood is called hypoprolactinaemia. This condition is very rare and may occur in people with pituitary underactivity. A decrease in the amount of prolactin secreted can lead to insufficient milk being produced after giving birth. Most people with low prolactin levels do not have any specific medical problems, although preliminary evidence suggests they might have reduced immune responses to some infections.

About Contact Events News. Search Search. You and Your Hormones. Students Teachers Patients Browse. The pituitary, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain, produces a number of hormones. Each of these hormones affects a specific part of the body a target organ or tissue.

Because the pituitary controls the function of most other endocrine glands, it is often called the master gland. Adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH. Adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH , also called corticotropin , which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol and other hormones.

Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone the gonadotropins , which stimulate the testes to produce sperm, the ovaries to produce eggs, and the sex organs to produce sex hormones testosterone and estrogen.

Growth hormone, which regulates growth and physical development and has important effects on body shape by stimulating muscle formation and reducing fat tissue.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone, which stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. The anterior lobe also produces several other hormones, including one that causes the skin to darken beta-melanocyte—stimulating hormone and ones that inhibit pain sensations enkephalins and endorphins and help control the immune system endorphins. Fat tissue has a lower percentage of water than lean tissue and women tend to have more fat, so the percentage Oxytocin causes the uterus to contract during childbirth and immediately after delivery to prevent excessive bleeding.

Oxytocin also stimulates contractions of the milk ducts in the breast, which move milk to the nipple the let-down in lactating women.

Oxytocin has some additional roles in both men and women. The pituitary gland can malfunction in several ways, usually as a result of developing a noncancerous tumor adenoma.

The tumor may overproduce one or more pituitary hormones, or the tumor may press on the normal pituitary cells, causing underproduction of one or more pituitary hormones. The tumor may also cause enlargement of the pituitary gland Enlargement of the Pituitary Gland Enlargement of the pituitary gland is usually due to a tumor but may be due to bleeding into the gland or involvement by some other disease, such as tuberculosis or sarcoidosis.

In some cases Sometimes there is overproduction of one hormone by a pituitary tumor and underproduction of another at the same time due to pressure. Sometimes excess cerebrospinal fluid can fill the space around the pituitary gland and compress it resulting in empty sella syndrome Empty Sella Syndrome In empty sella syndrome, the sella turcica the bony structure at the base of the brain that houses the pituitary gland fills with cerebrospinal fluid, partially or completely compressing the The pressure may cause the pituitary to overproduce or underproduce hormones.

Acromegaly or gigantism Gigantism and Acromegaly Overproduction of growth hormone causes excessive growth. In children, the condition is called gigantism. In adults, it is called acromegaly. Excessive growth hormone is almost always caused Cushing disease Cushing Syndrome In Cushing syndrome, the level of corticosteroids is excessive, usually due to taking corticosteroid drugs or overproduction by the adrenal glands. Cushing syndrome usually results from taking Galactorrhea Galactorrhea Galactorrhea is the production of breast milk in men or in women who are not breastfeeding.

The most common cause of galactorrhea is overproduction of the hormone prolactin hyperprolactinemia Erectile dysfunction Erectile Dysfunction ED Erectile dysfunction ED is the inability to attain or sustain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse. See also Overview of Sexual Dysfunction in Men. Every man occasionally has Infertility Overview of Infertility Infertility is usually defined as the inability of a couple to achieve a pregnancy after repeated intercourse without contraception for 1 year.