DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 29 and have been married for five years. We have been trying to start a family, but haven’t had any luck. About six months ago, my breasts started to leak fluid – not much, but enough that it finally brought me to the doctor. I haven’t had any periods for six months, either. The doctor thinks I have a pituitary tumor. Please explain the meaning of this to me. – P.G.

ANSWER: The pituitary gland is a small gland that lies a short distance inward from the bridge of the nose. It’s at the base of the brain, and it is the body’s master gland. It makes hormones that control many other glands. One of those hormones is prolactin, which initiates milk production when a woman becomes pregnant.

Apparently you are making milk now, when you’re not pregnant. That’s a sign that you’re making prolactin when you shouldn’t be. The most likely explanation is a prolactin-producing pituitary tumor.

Excess prolactin stops menstrual periods and puts an end to the monthly release of an egg. You have three signs of having too much prolactin.

An MRI scan can detect pituitary tumors.

What to do about such a prolactin-secreting tumor depends on the tumor’s size and the woman’s wishes. If restoring fertility is the greatest concern, then the medicine bromocriptine is prescribed. It also takes care of the milk production. Large pituitary tumors may require surgical removal or radiation. I haven’t mentioned all treatments available for this condition, but there are others.

A prolactin-secreting pituitary tumor isn’t just a female problem. It happens to men too. When it does, it causes a drop in testosterone production. That, in turn, can lead to impotence, infertility and osteoporosis.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Does cooking in iron cookware add iron to food? I found a set of iron cookware that my mother had. I had put it in the attic. I might start using it if it can give my family a boost of iron. – K.J.

ANSWER: Cooking in iron pots, pans and skillets adds iron to the food being cooked. Spaghetti sauce simmered in an iron skillet for three hours soaks up iron to an extent that 1 cup of the sauce gains 3 milligrams to 88 milligrams of it. That’s a significant amount when you consider the daily iron requirement for men and postmenopausal women is 10 mg. A premenopausal woman needs 15 mg of iron a day.

Granted, not many foods simmer for three hours, but still there is an iron contribution to food from iron cookware.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My upper left thigh started to hurt in a small area. It gets worse when I walk or stand too long. What do you think this is? – A.A.

ANSWER: It could be meralgia paresthetica.

Is the pain in an area that corresponds to where a man’s pants side pocket is? If it is, then that diagnosis is on firmer ground. It indicates that there is pressure on the nerve that serves that area. Excess weight, a too-tight belt or scar tissue can be the source of that pressure. Diabetics can get this without having any pressure on the nerve. Pregnant women are apt to develop it.

If the pressure is removed – through weight reduction or loosening a constricting garment – the pain goes away. If the pain stays and is annoying, a surgeon can free the nerve for you.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband has a pilonidal cyst. How did he get it? The doctor is treating him as an outpatient. Will he eventually need surgery? – T.H.

ANSWER: The “pilo” of pilonidal cyst is Latin for “hair,” and the “nidal” part is Latin for “nest.” It’s a cyst that forms because of hair beneath the skin in the low, low back. The hair might have been there from birth, or it might have been forced into the skin because of a person’s occupation. Jeep drivers often get it.

A doctor can drain the cyst in the office and remove all involved and adjacent hair.

If the cyst refuses to heal, surgery is the answer.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com