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. 2024 Feb;37(1):39-42.
doi: 10.1177/19714009231196470. Epub 2023 Aug 17.

Pituitary volume changes in pregnancy and the post-partum period

John C Benson  1 , David F Malyuk  1 , Ajay Madhavan  1 , Julie B Guerin  1 , Karl N Krecke  1 , Jason T Little  1 , Theodore J Passe  1 , David R DeLone  1 , Edward P Lindell  1 , Laurence J Eckel  1
Affiliations

Pituitary volume changes in pregnancy and the post-partum period

John C Benson et al. Neuroradiol J. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: Imaging changes in the pituitary volume during pregnancy remains scantly researched. This study set out to assess the differences in total, anterior, and posterior pituitary volume in pregnant women compared to nulliparous and post-partum women.

Materials and methods: A retrospective review was completed of women that had undergone MRI imaging of the brain. Patients were divided into three cohorts: pregnant, nulliparous, and post-partum (defined as being within 12 months of delivery). Anterior and posterior pituitary volumes were manually measured.

Results: 171 patients were included, of which 68 were pregnant, 52 were post-partum, and 51 were nulliparous. The average anterior (621.0 ± 171.6 mm3) and total (705.4 ± 172.2 mm3) pituitary volumes were significantly larger in pregnant patients than nulliparous women (522.6 ± 159.8 mm3 and 624.5 ± 163.7 mm3, respectively) (p = .002 and p = .01, respectively). The posterior pituitary volume was significantly smaller in pregnant women (84.4 ± 32.9 mm3) compared to both post-partum (101.2 ± 42.0 mm3) and nulliparous (102.0 ± 46.1 mm3) women (p = .02 for both).

Conclusions: The anterior and total pituitary volumes are significantly larger during pregnancy persisting into the post-partum period. The posterior pituitary volume, conversely, decreases during pregnancy, and returns to its normal size in the post-partum period.

Keywords: MRI; Pituitary; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Examples of anterior (solid arrows) and posterior (dashed arrows) on sagittal images in nulliparous (a), pregnant (b), and post-partum (c) women.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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