Managing a Pituitary Tumor During Pregnancy

Hormones play an important role in not only ensuring a woman can become pregnant, but also in maintaining and progressing a normal and healthy pregnancy. If you are expecting a baby, and if you have been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor, it is important to understand how that tumor can adversely affect your pregnancy and your immediate health.

The pituitary tumor is the gland in the brain the holds some responsibility for excreting hormones and regulating other hormone balances. When a pituitary tumor is present, complications associated with hormonal balance can ensue. It is important, therefore, that a pregnant woman, with a pituitary tumor, regularly ask that her doctor monitor her hormone levels.

While surgery to remove a pituitary tumor is possible, most women who are pregnant are not afforded this option due to the potential risks with pregnancy. While there are some conservative measures for treatment that can be provided, many obstetricians will avoid recommending treatment of the pituitary tumor during pregnancy but will recommend monitoring hormone levels and treating hormone balances. In other words, this is a management of symptoms and not resolving the underlying cause of the complication.

Tumors in the brain, such as the pituitary tumor, can often be shrunk by way of medications. But, because these medications can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or even birth defects in a live birth, your physician may opt to avoid prescribing these medications if not immediately necessary.

When suffering from a pituitary tumor during pregnancy, it is important to keep in mind that your health can be adversely affected by this tumor and the ability to carry a pregnancy to full gestation can also be adversely affected. Be sure to ask your doctor to regularly monitor your hormone levels and seek out treatment for hormonal imbalances when necessary. Ultimately, the actual treatment of your pituitary tumor may not occur until your baby has been delivered.

Tumors at any stage of life can be life changing. A pituitary tumor can have a profound impact on a woman's life and ultimately it is up to the physicians involved to find the best way to manage that health complication during pregnancy. Ultimately, no treatment is the worst option.

Sources: Management of Pituitary Tumors, by MB Michael Powell