Symptoms of Prolactinoma

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.)

Request an Appointment | Refer a Patient

What our Patients Say

Famed author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin thought her life was over — but a name from her past turned out to be the one who could calm her fears about the future
Karen Heimann, 62, a homemaker in New York City, spent her time doing “typical New York things” — visiting museums and art galleries, reading and watching movies, and taking care of Augie, her Irish Jack Russell Terrier. During the early days of the...
Barbara Hannan had loved spending summer days working from her home office in Connecticut, usually dressed in shorts and sandals. As temperatures cooled after Labor Day, it came time to switch back to real shoes. The communications consultant had a...
This Texas teenager found relief from relentless head pain after traveling 1500 miles to reach the right neurosurgeons in New York
Eneida Ramos, 39, has a full, active life. At any given moment she may be found volunteering, painting, working on her DIY projects, or cuddling her baby boy. Nothing about her cheery demeanor would suggest that until recently her life had been on “...
The migraines started when I was 21. I tried to tough it out, then I started going to doctors (lots of them) looking for answers, but nothing worked. My menstrual cycle was also off, and I was lactating. I felt awful. I was in college but I was...
By Theodore H. Schwartz, M.D. In July 2009 I met a new patient, a writer named Peter Hyman.  It’s not often that a neurosurgeon is faced with the prospect of operating on such a thoughtful, articulate, and inquisitive patient, which may be why I...

Our Care Team

  • Vice Chair for Clinical Research
  • David and Ursel Barnes Professor of Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery
  • Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and Otolaryngology
  • Director, Center for Epilepsy and Pituitary Surgery
  • Co-Director, Surgical Neuro-oncology
Phone: 212-746-5620
  • Associate Professor of Neuroendocrinology in Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine
Phone: 646-962-3556
  • Director, Neurosurgical Radiosurgery
  • Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Phone: 212-746-2438
  • Chief of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
  • Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
  • 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 (Manhattan) / 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)

Reviewed by: Georgiana Dobri, M.D.
Last reviewed/last updated: September 2023

Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery 525 East 68 Street, Box 99 New York, NY 10065 Phone: 866-426-7787