How Hormone Changes Before Diagnosis Affect Prolactin Tumor Size

This research study is trying to understand why prolactin-producing tumors (called prolactinomas) grow to different sizes in different women. Researchers suspect that estrogen—a hormone that naturally fluctuates in women's bodies—may play a role in how these tumors develop. The study will compare women diagnosed with larger tumors to women diagnosed with smaller tumors, looking back at their estrogen exposure before diagnosis (from birth control use, hormone therapy, or natural menstrual cycles) to see if there's a connection.

Prolactinomas are much more common in women than men, especially during the years when estrogen levels change most. Doctors have noticed that smaller and larger versions of these tumors behave very differently, but they don't yet understand why some women develop large tumors while others develop small ones. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring whether a woman's estrogen exposure before diagnosis helps predict tumor size.