In: Anatomy and Physiology
A 30-year old woman has the anterior lobe of her pituitary gland surgically removed because of a tumor. Without hormone replacement therapy, which of the following would occur after the operation?
A. Absence of menstration (menses)
B. Failure to secrete catecholamines in response to stress
C. Failure to secrete insulin in a glucose tolerance test
D. Failure to secrete Parathyroid hormone (PTH) in response to hypocalcemia.
ANSWER IS- OPTION A- ABSENCE OF MENSTRUATION.
EXPLANATION- when anterior pitutary gland is removed, the Follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormones are no longer secreted and these hormones are directly responsible for the menstrual cycle regulation and also responsible for carrying out normal reproductive system processes.so, if FSH and LH are not produced, then no menstruation seen in the patient, this can be cured by giving hormonal replacemet therapy.
Other options are not the right ones as, catecholamines are produced by the adrenal glands and are secreted by them in the fight or flight responses, cortisol stimulates this secretion (cortisol is stimulated by ACTH which is produced by the anterior pitutory gland) but the nervous system also stimulates catecholamines aswell. so, even in the absence of anterior pitutary gland, catecholamines gets secreted.
insulin is secreted by the pancreases so, it will not be effected greatly by the removal of anterior pitutary.
PTH is a negative feed back mechanism controlled by the level of calcium ions in the blood, secretion of PTH is not affected.