Pituitary gland final explanation

January 13 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

I found the pituitary gland to be very interesting

PITUITARY GLAND: The pituitary gland, also known as the master gland lies in the sella turcica (a small pocket of bone in the skull) located just behind the bridge of your nose, and connnected to your hypothalamus via the pituitary stalk. It is controlled by the hypothalamus via nerve stimulation.

It’s job consists of controlling the endocrine glands in the body, and secreting hormones that control sexual development, promote growth in the muscles and bones, respond to stress, and fight disease.

The pituitary gland releases seven specific hormones; first, the adrenocoricotropic hormone (ACTH), it is in charge of stimulating the adrenal glands that produce cortisol and other hormones that help your body cope with stress, the second one is the anti diuretic hormone that controls urine production, the third is the follicle stimulating hormone, in charge of stimulating sperm production in men and egg development and ovulation in women, the fourth is the growth hormone, which as suggested by it’s name is in charge of controlling bone and tissue growth, the fifth is the luteinizing hormone, that controls testosterone production in men and estrogen production in women, the sixth is prolactin, a hormone in charge of controlling breast development and the production of breast milk in women, and finally, the thyroid stimulating hormone stimulates your thyroid gland into making other hormones and regulating the body’s metabolism.

The pituitary gland is divided into three parts; the anterior, intermediate and posterior lobes. The anterior lobe is in charge of the proper development of the body, the intermediate lobe releases a special hormone that stimulates the cells that control skin pigmentation, and finally, the posterior lobe  produces a hormone that prevents dehydration in the body.

When the pituitary gland is going through something known as hypopituitarism it stops producing enough hormones, which could result in affected body functions. Something interesting about the pituitary gland is the fact that most problems with it tend to be related to benign tumors.