Hypopituitarism is a disorder in which your body doesn’t make enough pituitary hormones. The pituitary gland is a small, bean-shaped gland at the base of your brain. It is a major controlling part of your body’s endocrine system, a group of glands that produce and secrete hormones to regulate your body’s processes.

In hypopituitarism, the pituitary gland fails to produce, or doesn’t produce enough of, one or more of its hormones. When your pituitary gland doesn’t produce enough hormones, your body functions are affected.

The pituitary gland is responsible for releasing:

• growth hormone, which controls bone and tissue growth and maintains the balance of fat and muscle tissue.

• anti-diuretic hormone, which regulates urine production to manage your body’s water balance.

• thyroid-stimulating hormone, which stimulates your thyroid gland to make other hormones that regulate your body’s metabolism.

• luteinizing hormone, which regulates testosterone production in men and estrogen production in women.

• lollicle-stimulating hormone, which works with luteinizing hormone to stimulate sperm production in men and egg development and ovulation in women.

• adrenocoricotropic hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol and other hormones to help your body deal with stress.

• prolactin, which regulates the development of female breasts and the production of breast milk.