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Pituitary Response Sensitivity

Meaning

Pituitary Response Sensitivity refers to the degree to which the pituitary gland, often called the master gland of the endocrine system, reacts to stimulating or inhibiting signals originating from the hypothalamus or peripheral hormones. High sensitivity means the pituitary requires only a small amount of releasing hormone to elicit a substantial output of its own tropic hormones. This metric is a vital indicator of the health and integrity of the central endocrine axes, such as the HPT (Thyroid) and HPG (Gonadal) axes. Reduced sensitivity can lead to secondary hormonal deficiencies, even if the upstream signaling is intact.