What is a prolactinoma?
A prolactinoma is a tumor of the pituitary gland, which produces the hormone prolactin. This leads to an excess of prolactin circulating in the body, a condition known as hyperprolactinemia. Please be assured that although doctors use the word ‘tumor’, it is not a brain tumor and it is not cancer. There are other causes of hyperprolactinemia, including certain medications or an underactive thyroid gland, and your endocrinologist will check for these.
We do not know exactly what causes prolactinomas, but they are the most common type of hormone-producing pituitary tumor. These tumors usually grow very slowly and some do not grow at all. They rarely run in families and so you will not pass this on to your children. Women are more likely to get them than men.
Prolactinomas usually respond very well to medical treatment and do not normally require an operation.
