Are pituitary tumors serious?

The impact of pituitary tumors is relatively large, and it can easily cause women to have menstrual irregularities. It can also cause sexual dysfunction, headaches, decreased vision and other adverse hazards. Therefore, when facing these diseases, we must focus on correct treatment.

1. Menstrual disorders, lactation and infertility: Prolactin adenomas account for more than half of pituitary adenomas clinically. Due to the influence of high prolactin secretion and the reduction of estrogen, female patients often show a significant decrease in menstrual volume and lactation (underwear in contact with the nipple becomes wet), which then leads to amenorrhea and infertility, which has a great impact on physical and mental health and family life. However, if you can go to a neurosurgeon for treatment in time, it is still easy to be discovered early.

2. Sexual dysfunction: Sexual dysfunction refers to impotence and decreased libido. The main complaint of this type of patients is often that they have no desire to have sex with their wives no matter how long it has been, or they say that they are not interested in sex at all, and only have sex occasionally when their wives take the initiative to ask for it. Sexual dysfunction is one of the clinical manifestations of early pituitary adenoma. Literature shows that about 60% of pituitary tumor patients have sexual dysfunction, but the actual number is much higher than this. Because our country has always been very conservative about sex, some people are often reluctant to talk about it.

3. Headache: About 2/3 of patients have headaches in the early stages. The pain is mainly located behind the eye sockets, in the forehead and near the temples on both sides. It is mild and occurs intermittently. Because pituitary tumors originate from the sella turcica at the base of the skull, the sella turcica is surrounded by closed bone and is only covered by the tough diaphragm sella. Direct stimulation or growth of the pituitary tumor causes increased intra-sellar pressure and causes headaches. When the pituitary tumor grows upward and breaks through the diaphragm sella, the intra-sellar pressure decreases and the pain may be alleviated or disappear. Patients often feel a sudden severe headache, followed by significant relief or alleviation of the pain. However, if left untreated, the pain will reappear as the pituitary tumor grows.

4. Decreased vision and visual field loss: Pituitary tumors can break through the bottom of the sella turcica and grow downward, invading important blood vessels and nerves in the skull on both sides. However, the most common way of growth is to develop above the sella turcica and compress the optic chiasm and optic nerve, causing decreased vision and visual field loss. Patients often complain of decreased vision, inability to see to the sides, and always bumping into doors. If visual impairment occurs, surgery is needed as soon as possible to relieve pressure on the optic nerve and save vision. If it is accompanied by growth in other directions, it is called an invasive pituitary adenoma. The difficulty of treatment is significantly increased, and it is difficult to remove it in one go. Individualized treatment is required based on the specific situation.