The most visible symptom of prolactinoma is unexpected milk production and lactation. Other symptoms may include:
- Breast tenderness or pain
- Loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, or infertility
- Menstrual cycle irregularity (or a complete stop in menstruation)
- Headache and fatigue
- Vision changes
It’s important to note that a prolactinoma is not the only thing that may cause an increase in prolactin levels, and the symptoms above may be caused by elevated prolactin that is not caused by a tumor. Accurate diagnosis is important to ensure effective treatment. Whenever any hormone-related condition is suspected, the patient should be referred for testing and definitive diagnosis. (See Diagnosing and Treating Prolactinoma.)
Patients diagnosed with a prolactinoma (or any pituitary tumor) should be referred to a major medical center with an expert team of pituitary specialists. At the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center, patients will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary team that includes neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, endocrinologists, and neuroradiologists. If surgery is recommended, it will be performed by a neurosurgeon with advanced skills in minimally invasive procedures to remove pituitary tumors. (See Surgery for a Pituitary Tumor.)
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Our Care Team
- Vice Chair for Clinical Research
- David and Ursel Barnes Professor in Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Otolaryngology
- Director, Center for Epilepsy and Pituitary Surgery
- Co-Director, Surgical Neuro-oncology
Phone: 212-746-5620
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Leon Levy Research Fellow
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute
Phone: 646-962-3389
- Assistant Professor of Neuroendocrinology in Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine
Phone: 646-962-3556
- Director, Neurosurgical Radiosurgery
- Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
- Robert G. Schwager, MD ’67 Education Scholar, Cornell University
Phone: 212-746-2438
- Chief of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
- Co-director, Weill Cornell Medicine CSF Leak Program
Phone: (718) 670-1837
- Chief of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
- Professor, Neurological Surgery
- Director, Brain Metastases Program
- Co-director, William Rhodes and Louise Tilzer-Rhodes Center for Glioblastoma
Phone: 212-746-1996
Reviewed by: Georgiana Dobri, M.D.
Last reviewed/last updated: September 2023