脑下垂体（英语：pituitary gland，亦称为脑垂体）位于脑底部的中央位置，在蝶骨（sphenoid bone）中的蝶鞍（sella turcica）内，它的上方有视神经经过，两侧被海绵静脉窦（cavernous sinus）所包围，它的底部为蝶窦（sphenoid sinus）及鼻咽（nasopharynx）。整个脑下垂体大小约1.3x0.9x0.6公分，重量约0.6克，可分为脑下垂体前叶、脑下垂体后叶，其中前叶约80%，后叶约20%。

In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams (0.018 oz) in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The hypophysis rests upon the hypophysial fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae). The anterior pituitary (or adenohypophysis) is a lobe of the gland that regulates several physiological processes (including stress, growth, reproduction, and lactation). The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes melanocyte-stimulating hormone. The posterior pituitary (or neurohypophysis) is a lobe of the gland that is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the pituitary stalk (also called the infundibular stalk or the infundibulum).