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The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea that sits in the small, bony cavity ( sella turcica) at the base of the brain. It is connected to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus via the tuberoinfundibular pathway. It secretes hormones regulating a wide variety of bodily activities, including trophic hormones that stimulate other endocrine glands. For a while, this led scientists to call it the master gland, but now we know that it is in fact regulated by releasing hormones from the hypothalamus. It is physically attached to the brain by the pituitary, or hypophyseal, stalk connected with the median eminence.

The pituitary gland is divided into two sections: the anterior lobe ( adenohypophysis) and the posterior lobe ( neurohypophysis). The posterior pituitary is, in effect, a projection of the hypothalamus. It does not produce its own hormones, but only stores and releases the hormones oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

The anterior pituitary secretes growth hormone, prolactinProlactin is a hormone secreted by lactotropes in the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary gland), which is made up of 199 amino acids with a molecular weight of about 23,000 daltons. Prolactin has many effects, the most profound of which are to stimulate, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormoneLuteinizing hormone LH is a hormone released by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It is one of the gonadotrophins, the other being follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). In both males and females, LH stimulates the production of sex s, thyroid-stimulating hormoneThyroid-stimulating hormone (also known as TSH or thyrotropin is a hormone produced by thyrotrope cells in the anterior pituitary gland which regulates the endocrine function of the thyroid gland. Physiology The hypothalamus produces thyrotropin-releasing, adrenocorticotropic hormoneAdrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH or corticotropin is a polypeptide hormone secreted from corticotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released by the hypothalamus. ACTH stimulates the corte, endorphinEndorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. They are peptides produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. In other words,s and other hormones.

There is also an intermediate lobe in many animals. In adult humans it is just a thin layer of cells between the anterior and posterior pituitary, nearly indistinguishable from the anterior lobe. The intermediate lobe produces melanocyte-stimulating hormoneMelanocyte-stimulating hormone MSH is a peptide hormone produced by cells in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland. It stimulates the production and release of melanin ( melanogenesis) by melanocytes in skin and hair. In some animals (such as the c (MSH), although this function is often (imprecisely) attributed to the anterior pituitary.

The pituitary gland helps control the following body processes:

• Growth
• Blood pressure
• Some aspects of pregnancy
• Breast milk production
• Sex organ functions in both women and men
• Thyroid gland function
• The conversion of food into energy ( metabolism)
• Water balance in the body