Can stress cause pituitary tumors?
On One Hand: Stress May Cause TumorsThe pituitary gland is central to the body’s manifestation and regulation of stress, which it uses to respond to perceived threats. Some experts believe that an overabundance of stress can cause the gland to overproduce the hormone prolactin. Studies have shown the too much prolactin can lead to the formation of prolactinomas, benign tumors of the pituitary gland.On the Other: No Definitive Linkage ExistsAlthough there is tantalizing evidence that higher stress throws the gland out of whack, the linkage between stress and the generation of pituitary tumors remains largely speculative and anecdotal. No study has shown that stress definitively leads to the formation of pituitary tumors, either benign or malignant.Bottom LineWhile no consensus exists on this issue, because the pituitary gland plays such an important role in body’s use of stress, most experts agree that stress and the formation of tumors within the gland are not unrelated.
