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Pituitary Reserve

Meaning

Pituitary Reserve refers to the functional capacity of the pituitary gland, a master endocrine gland, to synthesize, store, and release its various trophic hormones in sufficient quantity and speed in response to a potent, specific secretagogue stimulus. This reserve capacity is a crucial clinical metric because it indicates the health and functional integrity of the entire hypothalamic-pituitary-end organ axis. A diminished reserve suggests a subclinical or frank deficiency in the gland’s ability to respond to physiological demand, which can lead to systemic hormonal imbalance.