Symptoms of pituitary microadenomas in women

Pituitary microadenomas in women are mainly tumors occurring on the pituitary gland. This type of tumor can cause patients to experience decreased vision and facial changes, thereby causing symptoms such as irregular menstruation and central obesity. Women need to undergo timely removal of pituitary microadenomas, otherwise it will affect the function of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is an important organ in the human body that produces a lot of hormones, so women can understand the symptoms of pituitary microadenoma.

1. Decreased vision and visual field loss: The most common symptom of patients is that they cannot see to the sides and often bump into doors;

2. Changes in face, limbs and body shape: Adults may have broad hands and feet, broad head and face, enlarged nose, thickened lips, increased hair, hoarseness, snoring during sleep, and sleep apnea syndrome.

3. Female menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, galactorrhea, and infertility: adolescent or married women, prolonged menstrual cycles or amenorrhea, breast galactorrhea, and infertility after marriage;

4. Changes in male sexual function: low libido, impotence, lack of beard growth, thinning voice, and infertility;

5. Centripetal obesity: patients will have fat accumulation in the chest, abdomen, and buttocks, with relatively thin limbs, showing "centripetal obesity", a full moon-shaped face, significant weight gain, and exposed subcutaneous blood vessels in the limbs and purple lines;

6. Headache: About two-thirds of patients will experience headache symptoms in the early stage. The pain is mainly located behind the eye sockets, in the forehead and near the temples on both sides. The degree is mild and the attacks are intermittent.

What to do with hypopituitarism

Treatment is directed at target gland hormone replacement therapy for panhypopituitarism; GH deficiency in adults does not need to be treated.

When hypopituitarism is due to a pituitary tumor, specific management must be directed at the tumor and hormone replacement therapy. The appropriate management of these tumors is controversial, as tumors are small and do not secrete PRL, and most support transsphenoidal tumor resection. Most endocrinologists advocate bromocriptine as the initial treatment for prolactinomas, regardless of tumor size.

There is evidence that patients with adenomas > 2 cm and extremely high prolactinemia require surgical and radiotherapy in addition to bromocriptine. Ultrahigh pressure treatment can also be used. If a large tumor spreads above the sella turcica and complete tumor removal through the frontal or transsphenoidal approach is impossible, ultrahigh pressure radiotherapy can be used. Other pituitary hormone functions may be lost after surgery and radiation. Radiation patients may gradually lose endocrine function over a period of years and may also experience visual impairment due to optic chiasm fibrosis.

In addition, hormone levels should be assessed repeatedly after treatment, preferably initially at 3 and 6 months and then annually.