Glossary of terms

Adenohypophysis
An alternative name for the anterior pituitary gland

Agonist
A chemical substance capable of combining with a receptor on a cell and initiating a reaction or activity

Amenorrhoea
The absence or cessation of menstrual periods. Primary amenorrhoea afflicts a woman who has never menstruated. Secondary amenorrhoea afflicts a woman who has menstruated at one time, but who has not had a period for six months or more

Anovulation
The failure to ovulate

Antidepressant
An agent used to relieve or prevent psychic depression

Anti-emetic
An agent used to prevent vomiting

Antipsychotic
A powerful tranquilizer used especially to treat psychosis and believed to act by blocking dopamine receptors

Atherosclerosis
A hardening of the walls of the arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body) caused by fatty deposits that interfere with the flow of blood

Benign tumour
A growth that is not cancerous

Bromocriptine (Parlodel)
An oral medication used to reduce prolactin levels and the size of a pituitary tumour

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
The watery fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord

Diagnosis
Identification of a disease or disorder by a physician or other qualified medical personnel

Dopamine
A neurotransmitter and hormone that acts as a stimulant to the nervous system

Dopamine agonist
A chemical substance (as a drug) that binds to a receptor and initiates the same reaction or activity typically produced by the binding of dopamine

Endocrine system
The body-wide system of hormone-producing glands and the hormones they produce that controls many aspects of life, including growth and reproduction

Endocrinologist
A doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the system of organs that secretes hormones into the blood

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
A hormone that contributes to sexual development of children. In women, together with luteinising hormone (LH), FSH controls ovulation and is essential for a normal menstrual cycle and for fertility. In men, FSH and LH stimulate the testes to produce sperm

Fossa
An anatomical pit, groove, or depression

FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone)
A hormone that contributes to sexual development of children. In women, together with luteinising hormone (LH), FSH controls ovulation and is essential for a normal menstrual cycle and for fertility. In men, FSH and LH stimulate the testes to produce sperm

Galactorrhoea
The abnormal milk secretion (lactation) from the breasts of women who are not pregnant or have not recently given birth

Gland
Any organ or tissue that releases a substance to be used elsewhere in the body; endocrine glands release hormones directly into the bloodstream

Glucose
A sugar that occurs widely in nature

Gynaecologist
A doctor who specialises in the diseases and routine physical care of the female reproductive system

Gynaecomastia
Enlargement of breast tissue in the male

Half-life
The time required for half of something to undergo a process. With respect to a drug, this is the time required for half the amount of the drug in or introduced into a living system to be eliminated or disintegrated by natural processes

Hormones
Chemical substances secreted by a variety of organs in the body that are carried by the bloodstream and usually influence cells some distance from the source of production. Hormones regulate body functions including blood sugar levels, insulin levels, the menstrual cycle, and growth

Hydrocephalus
An abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranial cavity that is accompanied by enlargement of the skull (especially the forehead) and degeneration of brain cells

Hyperinsulinaemia
The presence of excess insulin in the blood

Hyperprolactinaemia
Excess levels of the hormone prolactin in the blood

Hypogonadism
Deficiency in the secretion of sex hormones, which can either be primary (due to a disorder of the testes or ovaries) or secondary (due to disease of the pituitary or hypothalamus)

Hypophysis
An alternative name for the pituitary gland

Hypophysitis
A condition resulting in inflammation of the pituitary gland (hypophysis)

Hypopituitarism
Deficient production of one or more hormones by the pituitary gland

Hypothalamus
A part of the brain, the hormonal regulation centre, located adjacent to and above the pituitary gland that regulates many body functions and controls the pituitary gland

Hypothyroidism
Underactivity of the thyroid gland and diminished production of thyroid hormone, leading to low metabolic rate, tendency to gain weight, and sleepiness. Can be caused by a pituitary problem

Iatrogenic
Induced by a physician or a drug

Idiopathic
Arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause

Impotence
An abnormal physical or psychological state of a male characterised by the inability to engage in sexual intercourse due to failure to have or maintain an erection

Infertility
The inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term

Insulin
A protein hormone secreted from the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels

In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
Fertilisation of an egg (ovum) in a laboratory dish or test tube

IVF (in vitro fertilisation)
Fertilisation of an egg (ovum) in a laboratory dish or test tube

Lactation
Milk production or the period after giving birth during which milk is secreted in the breasts

LH (luteinising hormone)
A hormone that contributes to sexual development of children. In women, together with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), LH controls ovulation and is essential for a normal menstrual cycle and for fertility. In men, LH and FSH stimulate the testes to produce sperm

Libido
Sexual drive

Luteal phase
A phase of the menstrual cycle involving the hormone-secreting tissue (corpus luteum) in the ovary

Luteinising hormone (LH)
A hormone that contributes to sexual development of children. In women, together with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), LH controls ovulation and is essential for a normal menstrual cycle and for fertility. In men, LH and FSH stimulate the testes to produce sperm

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerised images of internal body tissues

Macroprolactinoma
A prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour which is more than 10 mm (½ inch) in diameter

Maintenance dose
The dose of a drug given over a period of time after symptoms have been improved to sustain the desired effects

Menses
The menstrual flow (periods)

Microprolactinoma
A prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour which is less than 10 mm (½ inch) in diameter

Morphology
The form and structure of an organism or any of its parts

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
A noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerised images of internal body tissues

Nausea
A stomach distress with distaste for food and an urge to vomit

Neurotransmitter
A substance involved in communication between cells in the brain via transmission of nerve impulses across a synapse (the junction between two cells)

Non-functioning tumour
A tumour which does not produce any of the pituitary hormones

NORPROLAC (quinagolide hydrochloride)
A selective dopamine agonist used to treat hyperprolactinaemia

Oestrogen
A female sex hormone produced by the ovaries

Oligomenorrhoea
Abnormally infrequent menstrual periods. The interval between periods often exceeds 40 days

Ophthalmoplegia
Paralysis of the eye muscles

Osteopenia
Reduction in bone volume/mass to below normal levels

Osteoporosis
A disease that causes bones to lose mass and become porous and brittle, increasing the risk of bone fracture. Associated with deficiency of oestrogen or testosterone

Ovaries
The pair of female reproductive organs that produce eggs (ova) and hormones

Ovulation
The release of the egg (ovum) from the ovarian follicle

Parlodel
The brand name of Bromocriptine

Pathological
Caused by disease

PCOS
See Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Pharmacological
Relating the science, properties and reactions of drugs, particularly with relation to their therapeutic value

Pharmacotherapy
The treatment of disease with drugs

Physiological
Characteristic of or appropriate to the healthy or normal functioning of an organism

Pituitary Adenoma
Benign, or non-cancerous, tumours of the pituitary gland

Pituitary gland
A small, bean-shaped gland located at the base of the brain near the hypothalamus. It is stimulated by the hypothalamus and produces hormones, which in turn control the hormone production of many other endocrine glands in the body

Pituitary tumour
A tumour, almost always non-cancerous (benign), of the pituitary gland

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
A condition where cysts are observed on the ovaries that can lead to symptoms including irregular or heavy menstrual periods, infertility and weight gain

Prolactin
A peptide hormone secreted from the anterior pituitary that initiates and maintains the production of milk in breastfeeding women (lactation). Men also have prolactin, but the function of prolactin in males is not clear

Prolactinoma
A pituitary tumour that produces prolactin, but is usually benign (non-cancerous). This can be a microprolactinoma or macroprolactinoma

Prolactin-releasing peptide
A factor that can stimulate secretion of prolactin from the pituitary gland

Quinagolide hydrochloride (NORPROLAC)
A selective dopamine agonist used to treat hyperprolactinaemia

Radiotherapy
Treatment with X-rays

Renal
Relating to, involving, affecting, or located in the region of the kidneys

Serum
The fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors have been removed by clot formation

Testosterone
The main sex hormone in men, produced by the testes

Thyroid Gland
A gland located over the windpipe and just below the larynx that produces hormones essential to numerous body processes and to normal body growth in infancy and childhood

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
A hormone released from the pituitary that stimulates hormone production in the thyroid gland

Thyrotrophin
Thyroid stimulating hormone; a hormone released from the pituitary that stimulates hormone production in the thyroid gland

Tumour
A growth or mass of abnormal tissue which resembles the normal tissue in structure, but which fulfils no useful function and which grows at the expense of the body. Tumours may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (spread and infiltrate adjacent tissue)

Vasoactive intestinal peptide
A hormone and neurotransmitter with a range of physiological activities including stimulation of secretion by the small intestine