Pituitary Tumor Risks: From Galactorrhea to Renal Failure

A pituitary tumor can lead to significant complications for women. Leading to complications involving hormonal regulation, with physical symptoms quite varied, many women suffer from pituitary tumors without realizing the degree to which the complication is affecting their lives.

Pituitary tumors can lead to a complication that is quite common in women, known as galactorrhea. Described as a condition in which there is a discharge of milk from the breasts, without the existence of pregnancy in the past six months, galactorrhea is certainly indicative of a health complication and can be quite embarrassing.

While pituitary tumors are not limited to only women, men can also experience the complication and even experience the development of galactorrhea.

In addition to galactorrhea, men and women who suffer from a pituitary tumor may develop other life threatening complications if not treated promptly. Because the pituitary tumor can block the passage of dopamine from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland, or create a complication in which there is an overproduction of prolactin, complications involving the kidney may develop.

Known as renal failure, the development of high prolactin levels often attributes to the develop of renal failure with nearly 30 percent of all renal failure cases attributed to this complication.

And somewhere in between renal failure and the development of galactorrhea, individuals who suffer from a pituitary tumor will often complain of headache pain, changes in vision, changes in temperature tolerance, irregular appetites and may even experience episodic syncope or seizures.