What does the pituitary gland do?

Updated on

What does the pituitary gland do?

Your pituitary gland is an important endocrine gland that’s in charge of making many different hormones. It also tells other endocrine system glands to release hormones, including your:

  • Adrenal glands.
  • Ovaries or testicles.
  • Thyroid gland.

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, muscles and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it.

Your pituitary gland is connected to your hypothalamus through a stalk of blood vessels and nerves. This is called the pituitary stalk. Through the stalk, your hypothalamus communicates with your pituitary gland and tells it to release certain hormones. Your hypothalamus is the part of your brain that controls functions like blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and digestion.

Your pituitary gland makes the following hormones:

  • Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH or corticotropin).
  • Antidiuretic hormone (ADH, or vasopressin).
  • Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
  • Growth hormone (GH).
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH).
  • Oxytocin.
  • Prolactin.
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Your pituitary gland doesn’t produce and release all of these hormones continuously. Most are released in bursts every one to three hours.

Related posts