Prolactinoma causes

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Overview

A prolactinoma is a benign tumor (adenoma) of the pituitary gland that produces a hormone called prolactin. It is the most common type of pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are caused by too much prolactin in the blood (hyperprolactinemia) or by pressure of the tumor on surrounding tissues.

Causes

Although research continues to unravel the mysteries of disordered cell growth, the cause of pituitary tumors remains unknown. It has been shown that stress can significantly raise prolactin levels which should make stress a diagnostic differential though it usually is not considered such. Most pituitary tumors are sporadic--they are not genetically passed from parents to offspring.

Other Causes

The majority of moderately raised prolactin levels (up to 5000mIU/L) are not due to microprolactinomas but other causes. The effects of some prescription drugs are the most common, but the normal physiological causes of pregnancy & breastfeeding should not be forgotten, nor the effects of other pituitary tumours. This is discussed more under Hyperprolactinaemia.

Drug Side Effect - Clomifene

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